Is It Wrong to Serve Food In Orario
by Xenophos24
Summary: Shirou believe he had done all he could in becoming a Hero of Justice. When he is presented the chance to live a second life, he decided to take things slow this time by becoming a chef in the Hostess of Fertility.
1. Prologue

Fire

The only thing to be seen in front of the young man's eyes was fire and more fire. The debris from fallen buildings piled up the street in such large quantities that you couldn't even see the ground anymore. Brick walls and pipes jut out from the ground as a giant flame flares in the background. To those that catch a glimpse of this, they couldn't describe any differences from that of hell.

'_To think that I will be seeing this again.'_ The young man thought silently as he trudged through the debris. His hand bearing burns and scars all over the calloused palm. Yet, the most prominent out of all of it is the discolored arm that's covered with a red cloth. His auburn hair has a tint of white in it, the golden eyes that once preside him has a shadow of gray in it. The young man would be quite handsome by today's standard if it weren't for the dead eyes that reside on his face. His white shirt with blue sleeves looks torn like his black pants, even his shoes are at their breaking point. Regardless of all of this, he still marched forward.

"To kill one to save ten, kill ten to save hundreds, kill hundreds to save thousands." Those words keep circulating in his head as he takes all of this in.

"_To kill one to save ten, kill ten to save thousands"_

"_To kill one to save hundreds, kill 7 to save thousands"_

"_To kill one to save thousands…."_

His dream, his ideals, the only cornerstone that defined Shirou Emiya had crumbled into nothingness. The actions he took in this Holy Grail War, every step, every breath, every swing from his sword, all of it has led him to this scene. Even with all of the carnage, he couldn't help but remember the start of all this destruction; the day Emiya Shirou decided to take on his Father's mantle.

_***FlashBack***_

"Hey, hey old man, if you're gonna sleep, do it in your bed." A younger Emiya shirou exclaimed as he walked towards a middle aged man.

The man, known as Kiritsugu Emiya, looked at his adoptive son for a second before he began to relax. His gaze still not leaving the garden in front of him. Nonetheless, he replied to Shirou. "Right…" A chuckle escaped him "I'm fine." A comfortable silence fell between them.

Shirou took the initiative to sit beside his father. Even though Kiritsugu didn't say anything, Shirou knew that his old man is happy that he got to talk with his son. It was not unusual for them to fall into this comfortable state of silence since Kiritsugu doesn't talk much in general and Shirou didn't have much to talk about.

"You know, I always wanted to be a Hero."

"Huh...always wanted to be? Did you give up?" an incredulous look appeared on Shirou's face. For all of his life after the Fuyuki Fire, he always pictured his old man as a person that he looked up too. But, he never talked about his past before the adoption. The only times it had ever happened were a few slight comments that slipped from his mouth. Seeing him talking like this peaked Shirou's interest.

"Yeah..." A slight pause "Unfortunately, being a Hero is a limited time thing. When you grow up, it's hard to call yourself one." A soft laugh, almost as small as a whisper, slipped from his mouth. It sounds sad in a way, the voice that he let out is almost the same as that from a man who resigned himself to a certain fate. "I should have realized it earlier."

"I see… I guess you couldn't help it then."

A resigned smile could be seen on Kiritsugu's face, "No...no I couldn't." His voice growing softer as time goes on. Shirou was far too engrossed in the conversation to notice it. he goes silent for a second, his expression showing that he was thinking about something. After a moment of peace, with a confident face, Shirou looks at his adopted father.

"Yeah, since you can't help with it…."

"I'll be one for you."

Surprise overcame Kiritsugu for a moment as he stared at his son in shock. Shirou, oblivious to Kiritsugu's reaction, continued to share his conviction.

"You're an adult now so you can't do it. But, I can." Returning his gaze to his Father, he began to say his final piece, "So leave it to me…. your dream."

"Ahh….." Although his face remained stoic, Kiritsugu's eyes told a different tale; shock, surprise, sadness, acceptance, all of which happened in the span of a second. When he looked at his son, Shirou's body was overcome with the image of a younger Kiritsugu; the one that hadn't realized the sad truth of his ideals. Even then, when Kiritsugu experienced this scene, his thought wasn't one of regret, but one of hope.

'_Ahh…..maybe he could do it.'_

"I feel relieved." Said Kiritsugu as he closes his eyes.

Shirou smiled contentedly as he looked at the star, naive to the fact that his father took his last breath, a small smile gracing his once stoic face.

***End Flashback***

Shirou remembers that memory fondly, his time with his father was one of his treasured memories within his broken self. A pang of regret welled up in Shirou's mind, 'Yet, I chose to discard his ideals, my ideals, to save someone dear to me. Even with all of this, these hands still couldn't save anyone. I suppose this is what people call Karma.'

_His hands_

_His hands that were stained with blood._

_The blood of the Innocent._

_The blood of everyone dear to him._

_Rin. _

_Illya. _

_Saber. _

_Sakura. _

His hands would be forever stained with their blood.

Rubble of once tall buildings, a great fire not seen before the Fuyuki Fire, thousands of lives snuffed out with many more soon followed. The very picture of Hell, the complete opposite of a Hero of Justice.

The action that betrayed Emiya Shirou.

'_Is this what you felt Kiritsugu, the falseness of your ideals, the concept of Hero of Justice. The years spent chasing this idea, not knowing the suffering it would've cause. Even with all of this torment; even when I abandoned my dream, I never regretted this decision. So with this, I will continue to go through with this dream to the end.'_

A slight brush of pain cut off his train of thought, a loud thump following right after. _'Ah…. it seems that my legs have given up.'_ The young man struggled to get up; alas, the exhaustion had finally triumphed over his tenacity.

He laid his eyes to the black sky, ash and smoke racing to the sky as if trying to return to their starry homes. A thought occurred to the dying man, _'I've lived my life pursuing a false ideal, a foolish wish that brought nothing but pain. Even if I never regret my choice…'_ He could see his vision growing dimmer. His breath slowed, his strength left his body. With his last remaining breath, he spoke the words that would change his life.

"I wonder what my life would be like if I had never become a Hero of Justice."

The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the sight of an old man.

—

**AN 2 : Chapter's have been Beta by**

**Fierynitemare**

**freakyHadeschild**

**Yajirushi Fosaku**

**AN : Hiyaa, Author here. This is my first story so it's rough around the edges. Tbh, even for me, I'm not that talented in writing as you can see in this chapter. Yet, i got all this stories Ideas stuck in my head that I really need to write it down. I try to improve on it, My imagination is in training mode and it will be unleash in future chapter.**

**This idea of mine is inspired by another Author in that use a character from a LN series and put him in Danmachi. I really enjoyed his writing, even the Pairing too xD. While i was reading it, it got me thinking.**

**What would happen if i put Emiya Shirou in Orario. As the title implied, this story will be a more Slice of Life than it is about fighting, mostly because i suck at writing fight scene ;-; **

**Another reason that I'm doing this is to explore what ripple Emiya Shirou will create by him existing there. This is also the path of recovering for Shirou. As you know, Fate HF has some pretty fucked up shit happen there. This specific HF route will be my own OC. it's kinda a mix between the Fate route and HF route. more will be known in Future chapters, so stay tune.**

**There will be some AU since of course, this is Fanfiction. But, I'm looking forward to see how this story Unfold.**

**As always, review and constructive criticism is welcomed. i know that i need all the help i can get to improve my writing. First Chapter is already in the making, I'll talk to you in the next chapter**

**Peace.**


	2. Prologue ll

**Orario**

In this particular universe, the city, known as Orario, is recognized far and wide through the lands as the only city with a dungeon. In this city of wonders, many people from different species sought the dungeon as a fast ticket to wealth and fame. It is certainly an unusual sight to behold, but something is far more strange that it seems.

The gods are what you would imagine them to be; omnipotent, powerful beyond measure, and capable of constructing objects that no man could ever dream to create. Yet, for all their power, there's not much used to it in Tenkai with other gods. When you spend all of your time with the same faces, it will start to get boring after a while. the same logic is applied to most of the gods as their lives are growing dull. Maybe this is why they find humanity to be such an interesting creature. Gods are known to be immortal, out of the many races there are in the lower realm, only the elf and dragon races could hold a quarter of a grasp to their own circumstances. For them, a 100 years could pass in a second and they wouldn't even bat an eye toward it.

To humans however, so many things have and will occurred during the 100 years that the gods are befuddled by it. Their variety of emotions are shown within such a short time that it piqued their interest. When they watch humans live their life, all of them have the same thought,

_'Would it be interesting if we got to experience what humans see in their eyes?'_

So, with the power to alleviate their boredom, the gods set out on a journey to the lower realms, not knowing the impact they would bring to Humanity and the people in Orario.

There's only two rules the gods must abide by if they want to stay in the lower realm :

Gods must never use their power except for granting a blessing

Gods must never enter the dungeon

Failure to abide by these restrictions will result in their forcible return to Tenkai or be banished from Orario. Nonetheless, every god took an oath to it with fire in their eyes. The city would change like never before by the meddling of gods.

To humans, the arrival of the gods was a welcomed sight. With the power to grant their grace to people, their power can reach heights no humans have thought possible. People who once couldn't even beat a group of goblins can battle a minotaur with one hand. There are many that possess more hidden potential that a living being could have, and more will be explored and found in due time. Thus, the start of the tale known as Orario has begun.

* * *

1000 years after the gods descended to the lower realm, the political and power geography have shifted a lot since then. Many familia has risen and fallen through those years with legends detailing their tale sung in barbs and told as bedtime stories.

Today, some of the most powerful familia are the Freya Familia, Loki Familia, Isthar Familia. Freya being the familia with some of the most powerful high level adventurers, Loki being the dungeon explorers, and Isthar commanded the red light district.

In the Freya Familia, there is a captain that commands them in Freya stead. They who held this title wielded immense power while taking a huge burden on their shoulders. A choice they make in the dungeon could mean the life and death of the people in their charge. The captain must develop the mentality to discard their humanity on the go if they wish to command effectively, something that would no doubt erode the person's mind from being called human anymore.

After an unknown number of years serving as Freya Familia captain, Mia Grand partially retire from her responsibility to open up her own Pub. It is undisclosed why she left the familia, but what was known is that there's a mutual understanding between her and her goddesses. With the money she earned during her time as an Adventurer, The Hostess of Fertility was born. It will soon become one of the most popular restaurants in Orario, but we're getting too far from the plot. This story follows the journey of a man on the road to recovery as his presence changed the course of history for the better…..or for worse. This all started on one particular day.

* * *

Mia Grand, or better known as Mama Mia by some people strolls through Daedalus street. Seeming to walk with confidence, she twists and turns through the irregular street as if she were raised there. This light walk stems from her pursuit to keep her body in shape. Her training and experience as a Freya Familia captain had made a habit of her to train at least 3 times a week, else her skill will grow dull. Her body is already tall for dwarven standards, sometimes you couldn't even see her racial trait if you didn't look closely. She still retains her youthful appearance, but it fades as time goes on with her manning the restaurants.

_'The weather is quite terrible as of late.'_ Mia thought as she looked up at the sky. It had been cloudy with a chance of rain for the past several days and it started to worry some people. It isn't what you would call abnormal yet, but the gods have started to take notice of this.

_drip. _

_drip. _

_drip. _

As if the clouds had listened to Mia's thought, they decided to grace the people in Orario with the water they were holding, earning a scowl on Mia's face. _'I have just jinxed it, haven't I?'_ The weather and the cold would never bother a level 6 adventurer, but it's still annoying to have to wash your drenched clothes that could've been avoided. So with a perpetual scowl, she picked up her pace through the streets. The dwarf is halfway to her destination when she heard a loud crash.

*_**Thump**_*

"What is that?!" the dwarf exclaimed. Her eyes darting around the empty street in the Daedalus district. Her hearing easily pointed out the source, "Judging by the distance and the loudness of it, it should be…...there!" her acute hearing had pinpointed the source of the sound to the alley beside her. it was somewhat dark when she peered inside, but the trait of being a dwarf and a level 6 Adventurer helped her eyes see through the darkness. what she saw shocked her.

It was a young man. his hair an auburn color with a tint of white in it, his body was muscular for his given size. He could be an adventurer judging by those muscles of his, but that wasn't what shocked her,

_Blood._

_scars._

_burns._

The young man in the alley was riddled with many wounds, some of which looked severe enough that she questioned if he was alive or not. nevertheless, Mia quickly rushed to his side.

"Oiiii, are you alright?!" the dwarf cried out as she arrived at his side. Shirou, being unconscious, couldn't reply to Mia's question. As she began to check the severity of his wound, a grimace appeared on her face.

'_It is worse than what I expected._' the injured man is laying on the alley with his back against the wall, blood flows out of his wound enough to create a small pond. Some wounds are so bad that you could even see the bones inside. To think that the man still has a pulse confused and relieved Mia.

She dismisses her thought, "No matter, I have to get this man treated." With a determined look, she looked at the young man for a second before she lifted him up and carried him bridal style, careful with the placement of her arms as to not further injure him. The dwarf pace turned into a run as she raced through to her own restaurant.

* * *

The Hostess of Fertility is buzzing with cheers and laughter today, a sight that is not that rare to see in the popular restaurant. What makes today special for the staff and the Loki familia is that one of their frontline fighters, Aiz Wallenstein, has managed to solo a boss in the dungeon. Since this is a monumental achievement, they decided to reserve the Pub for the night to celebrate it. The waitress is already began preparing the materials while waiting for Mama Mia to come back. Nonetheless, they have a slight hard time doing it with the amount of shouting that came from the Loki Familia.

"AHHHH, MY AIZ IS THE STRONGEST IN THE WORLD!" a drunk Loki exclaim while still drinking a chug of beer. Her cheeks already have a hint of red on them.

Some of the guild members laugh at their goddess antics, their minds already used to her jovial nature. Riveria on the other hand, has a small tick mark on her forehead,

"Would you please tone your voice down, we already inconvenience the staff enough with this surprise celebration. I wouldn't want to bother them more with your attitude!"

"Ehhhh," Loki whined, "Bu-but… It's Aiz-tan big achievement. We should all be having fun with each other. Don't you want to loosen up a bit too Alf-chan." with each word, the goddess move suspiciously toward Riveria. For many people, they would just see Loki trying to talk with Riveria more closely. But, the Elf's already spent enough time with her useless goddess to know what she's up too.

"Touch me at this once, and I will skewer you with my staff." a hint of bloodlust laced in her words. Loki, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, chuckled nervously before she returns to her seat.

Gareth and Fin are having a great time as they watch the daily banter. There's never a dull moment when one lives with the Loki familia, mostly because of the trouble their goddess get for being a pervert.

"Hahaha, our goddess has earned the ire of our Elfen Empress again. How many was it today, four or five times?" Gareth chuckled while downing his beer

Finn, having the same calmness as he would have in the dungeon, laughed weakly. "It's the fourth time today Gareth, although our resident star has at least twice the number of that." he turn his gaze toward Aiz.

Her eyes had a sort of blankness in them, almost as if she's feeling quite detached from everything else. But, the small smile that graced her lips is easily enough to indicate the sheer joy she's having with her friends. Aiz didn't express much emotion when she joined the Loki familia. Even with the constant pestering of Loki, Aiz only managed to show the barest hint of expression on her face. There were still many roads ahead before they could see a full blown smile on her face, but they couldn't discount their effort of making Aiz into what she is today.

Tiona, being the extrovert she is, was having a conversation with Aiz. You would think that this would be a normal conversation. But, In reality, it was mostly just Tiona talking about random stuff while Aiz only saying one or two words with a 'hmm' or nod to indicate her replies.

"Aiz, Aiz, how's it feel to finally solo a boss all on your own?!" a big smile plastered on her face as she pestered Aiz.

"Hmm, it's good."

"Cmon Aiz-chan, you should feel more than that. Like Excited, or your heart beating like crazy, the juicy stuff you know?"

"Ahh," a slight pause, "I feel stronger." Aiz said after a moment of consideration, not knowing her reply would elicit a face palm from some of their members.

"Hehe," Lefiya said with a tone of admiration, "Sasuga Aiz-sama, only she could solo a floor bosses and not care about it at all." the Twinkle in her eyes already enough of an indicator that she was lost in her own world.

"Lefiya...You're embarrassing yourself again." Tione pulled her out of the fantasy that was her world. She knows better than anyone about admiring someone from afar. _'Hahhhhhh, Finn-sama, when are you going to notice me as a woman."_

"ACGK.." her dream shattered, bringing her back to reality. Lefiya looks around to see if anyone noticed her. When her sight was met by some laughs and smiles from her familia members, she buried her head into her arms in shame. "Awawawa..." Smoke began to produce from the young elf ears, her face already red from embarrassment. _'AHHHHH, Aiz-sama must have seen my act as unsightly. Now she's going to think of me as a weird girl and stay away from me.'_ a slight peak from Lefiya eyes revealed that Aiz hasn't looked in her direction yet, bringing hope to her spirit _'Yosh, My dignity is still safe.'_ her mood began to brighten again.

Aiz's expression didn't change at all during the entirety of the one sided conversation. But, she had somewhat lowered her guard. Loki, seeing the chance to touch Aiz, quickly spread her arms and hugged her sword princess with a mischievous smile.

"Of course you feel stronger, you have this god right here that gave you her blessing. I have you know that my blessing works 20% more effectively than any other god or goddesses."

"I would prefer if you stop spreading such false statements while we're in public. Our public relation department is already working overtime handling some of your perverted trouble. We don't want them getting too overworked by your own lie!" Riveria chimes in, a mischievous smile adorning her face as she took her revenge against her own goddess.

Bete, the werewolf, already has enough of this. "OIIII, when are we going to have our food?!" he shouted, his tone of voice portraying his annoyance.

"We're still waiting for Mamma Mia to come back, she should be here by now!" a waitress named Anya replied. Her cat ears twitched in frustration as a thunder could be heard. _'Where are you Mia? we can't really cook here ya know.'_

"Well, We're all still really hungry from our expedition," his voice continues to rise, "If she is isn't ba—"

**BOOM**

Speak of the devil and she shall appear.

Mia Grand, the Ex captain and a level 6 Adventurer burst through the door with her clothes soaked in water. Many eyes from patrons and staff alike immediately went to her. The thing that surprised them wasn't the owner, but the state of the young man she'd been carrying.

It is not uncommon for Adventurers to hurt or die in the dungeon. The sheer unpredictability of monsters is one of the driving forces behind the high death rate. None are more experienced to this phenomenon than the Loki Familia. But the thing is, those injuries occurred in the dungeon, yet the severity of it is the same as the wounded man. He looks pitiful in a way, something or someone must have beat him badly to get this many wounds and scars.

Mia's expression remained stoic as she slowly walked to the back of the pub, People part their tables in order to give her room to move uninterrupted. Her eyes linger on Loki's for a moment before the goddess understood the message.

"Riveria, could you go with Mia and heal the boy?" Loki's face turned serious, her voice sounding sober despite the many beers she had drunk before. Even when the young man is not from her own familia, a goddess wouldn't be so selfish as to refuse to help someone who's dying right in front of their eyes.

"Understood." Riveria rose from her seat and began to follow Mia toward the back of her pub, bringing her staff with her. With this, the cheery atmosphere that once presided over the room had changed into a somber one, neither the staff nor the familia members had a smile on their face. The severity of the young man injuries killed their mood. With all of this happening, they failed to notice the Sword Princess gaze toward the back door. Her attention caught by something the young man must have.

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, Mia does indeed sleep at her own restaurant. Her sole dream after her adventuring career was to own a pub with a family to take care of her own. The space on top of The Hostess of Fertility could be described as an extension from the main floor. A courtyard wide enough to fit a small playground in the middle floor and a resting area that looks like an inn on the top floor of the pub. With the recent influx of Waitresses working at her restaurant, Mia thought it would be better to expand her house to accommodate them.

The walk up the stair toward the resident area was a silent one, neither of them uttered a single word to each other. Only the small breath the young man filled the silence between them. After staying in that state for a minute, they arrive at a door.

"Would you be so kind as to open this up for me." Mia asked softly, her eyes look tired as it directed their gaze toward Riveria.

"Hmm, then if you excuse me." the door opened enough to show a spartan room with only the barest of things for eyes to be lain upon; A bed, drawer, and a desk with a candle next to it were the only thing to be seen. The elf silently walked toward the desk and proceeded to use her magic to turn on the light source while Mia laid the man on the bed.

_'Flamos_.' a simple fire magic that every beginner caster learns as their basic. It uses their magic energy and converts them into sparks of fire. Since it teaches you the basics of Magic and being a survival spell, many casters know this spell by heart. A small light show performed at the tip of the candle before a flame appeared. The fire blazed brightly as it brought light into the room.

"Ahh, thank you for that. I've heard from your familia that you're one of the designated healers. heh, this reminds me back to when I used to go adventuring in the dungeon. _Those stinking elves and their high pride,_" she muttered the those last words silently, "Anyway, could you help heal this boy for me?"

"Of course, this is what I'm here for after all." As she looked at the boy, a small grimace appeared on her face. _'The wound is too deep.'_ The thought was not without basis, While normal magic could indeed heals cuts and burns, severe injuries like this one needed Elven magic if they wanted to heal quickly. Calming herself down, she began to enter a state of mind. Her body relaxed, her grip on the staff in a comfortable position. Then, words start appearing inside her head. With a flick of her magic staff, the runes within the staff lighten up, she spoke those words.

"_Oh Fairy, those who are kind, hear my words, as my words are law. heal the wound, as if you're own, for those who seek, will left most pleased._"

There was a sudden change in her magic while she began healing him, something that didn't escape her watchful eyes. _'Somethings wrong about this young man'_, the fairies that were supposed to be healing him are now in a chaotic state. They always go into panic when they are threatened by something. Yet, the chaotic fairies didn't react this way from a threat. No, they were crying of joy.

'ꋊꍌꀘ'

'ꋊꍌꀘ'

'ꋪꄲ ꋊꍌꀘ'

Riveria is shocked from this. The fairies are saying something, but she doesn't or couldn't understand their words. The tongue of the fae is a dead language. In most cases, Fairies don't speak at all during their lives as summoned creatures. Only her grandfather still retains the knowledge of the Fae tongue in her kingdom back home. All that she could do is remember what they were saying to ask her grandfather about this later. She got a feeling that there's something more in their speech than what she believed it to be.

The fae is a phantasmal being, something that transcended even the high elves. It is a blessing that they were close to her ancestors. They who predate even the first elves have granted them their magic as a show of trust between them. Even though Fairies had disappeared from this world, Elven magic works by summoning them with the runes on their staff to administer their magic. While this magic system is much weaker in terms of firepower compared to modern magic, they're unrivaled in the support department.

The elf looked at Shirou's face with skepticism. Judging by her eyes, the man in front of her was only a few years older than Aiz. Someone so young shouldn't have elicited this large of a reaction from the Fairies, much less have meet any fae at all. Any further thought was cut when she heard Mia speaking beside her.

"Heh, even with all my years adventuring, Elf's magic never ceases to amaze me. Although the rate of which he is healing is much faster than expected."

_'...she's right.'_ While Riveria was too busy pondering about the fairies reaction, the group of fairies seem to be very motivated into healing the young man. _'There's really is something going on with him.'_

After three minutes, all of the wounds and burn marks are gone. Some scars are still present after the healing, something that even the fairies couldn't help with, much to their ire. After finishing what they're here for, the Fae linger for a moment on Shirou's body before disappearing in a blue mots of light.

"Come on!" Mia said, patting the back of the elf, "Since I've troubled you with this personal wish, how about I treat you all with some meals, it's on the house."

"That…..would be most appreciated." Riveria smiled wryly at the prospect of saving their budget. The amount of money gathered from their expeditions is almost the same as the size of money used to upkeep their own familia.

As they walk through the door, going back to her dysfunctional familia chastising their useless goddess and talking with Phinn and Gareth. Riveria couldn't help but wonder toward the strange young man,

"_Just who are you?_"

* * *

**AN 2 : Chapter's have been Beta by**

**Fierynitemare**

**freakyHadeschild**

**Yajirushi Fosaku**

**AN : Hello, Author here. Jesus did i never anticipated the amount of follows and likes I got when I posted the prologue. I did say that my story will be a more slice of life story, but I never thought my mind would let me go a green light with writing something as depressing as that lol. **

**Well, Here's the formal introduction to the story. sorry for that sizeable chunk of exposition but i feel like it will be incomplete without it. **

**I took the liberty to change some stuff Canon wise to fit my story. for example, the fairy thing with Elven magic. I don't know what kind of magic they use, and I'm too lazy to read or watch Sword Oratoria for it. So fuck it, i just create a new system of magic. Huzzah. Human magic will just be the same as the shows, only the elves get this preferential treatment.**

**Points to people who manage to figure out why the fairies and Aiz act that way. this should be pretty obvious if you at least know Fate lore.**

**Next chapter will be a Shirou chapter, but I will keep doing this kind of POV since this is something i'm more comfortable and easy to manage. also, HURRAY for getting rid of 'young man' for Shirou, even for me, I write that shit way too much for my liking.**

**As always, Review and Constructive criticism is welcomed. as i forgot to mention from the previous chapter, I do not own anything from Danmachi and Fate. Second chapter will take a longer time since i'm kinda a pantser in writing. Enough talking for now.**

**Peace.**


	3. Prologue End

_**Quiet**_

The room is unnervingly silent as Riveria and Mia appear from the back door. When the occupants look at both of their faces, they could feel a sense of relief washing over them.

"So...is the guy okay?" Tiona asked with concern. Since she is one of the front line fighters, she knows how serious that man's injuries were.

"It is unfortunate that normal magic isn't sufficient to heal the damage done to the young man's body. But, in good fortune, my level of Elven magic is high enough to treat his wound to a non-threatening state. Yet, it does raise some questions about the state of his body." Riveria continues sharing her observation of Shirou's body to the rest of the group.

"_Scars from blade wounds littered all over the exposed area of the man's shirt and arms. Some parts of his body seems to be bent into an unnatural angle, almost as if he was hit by a minotaur at full strength. His clothing seems to be tattered from slash wounds and from the wear of time, indicating that he hadn't changed his clothes since the beginning of the conflict. But, the one thing that intrigued me the most is the discolored arm on his left side. Unfortunately, that side is covered with a red cloth that impeded me from further analysis of it. But, what I can tell you is that the discolored arm looks unnatural to the young man's body."_

"Damn.." Gareth whistles in morbid amazement, "That man must have been through the ringer." From the Elf's observation, His injuries look like he tried to solo the mid-level dungeon all on his own. A feat that even the strongest adventurer, Ottar, could not do.

"Yeah," Tione agreed, " Even in our time in the lower dungeon, I've never seen someone with injuries as severe as his." Her place as a main expedition adventurer has lead her into some gruesome sights. So her words hold considerable weight to the given situation. Some of the Loki familia who overheard their comments started having shivers going down their spines.

"_Lo-look, even Gareth and Tione-san spoke badly about his injuries…...do you think we'll be next?"_

"_Stupid, don't jinx us like that. Besides, we have the Astraea familia keeping the peace for us. There's no way that killer will have a chance against a bunch of level 4's."_

"_But what if that beat-up guy is a higher level adventurer than them? If he were, We—we're really screwed."_

"_Pipe it down, I already have enough stress just dealing with you. I don't want you blabbering out some random lie to start causing unnecessary panic. Look, even our goddess is being calm. You should take her as an example and cool down." _ Both of their gazes went toward their god.

Loki is being uncharacteristically silent during Alf's report. Her eyelids were open to the smallest amount, showing a pair of fiery golden eyes through the crack. '_This could be more serious than I thought.` _An attack inside Orario is already serious enough with the rising of some corrupt familias. The Astraea familia so far has done their hardest in keeping the peace, but with them being the only familia that took a proactive stance to instill justice, their manpower is stretched thin. _'I should better tell Rae-chan about this, she knew she needs all the help she could get in dealing with this mess.' _

A loud voice broke everyone from their thoughts. The shout was powerful and commanding, making those who listen to it immediately straighten on the spot. Even Aiz flinched due to the sheer booming noise of the shout.

" IF YOU'RE GOING TO JUST MOPE AROUND THE PLACE LIKE A CRYBABY, YOU SHOULD DO IT BACK HOME. This is supposed to be a celebration for god sake, so act like one. This is a Pub, not a church. So keep those orders rolling people." An infectious smile appears on Mia's face, her body is already donning her work clothes.

One by one, Loki's familia members look at each other and laugh heartily, the mood is starting to return to normal. It is something to admire about Mia Grand, her years spending as a captain for the Freya familia had taught her a valuable experience in crowd controlling. _'If you divert their attention elsewhere, the problem right in front of them will cease to exist.' _The dwarf knew that this is just a momentary solution. she already realize well enough that the thought of being killed is already at the back of their head.

_Clap _

Everyone's attention is suddenly diverted towards Loki. With their attention gathered, She stands on her seat, her mouth ready to speak her thoughts. "Alright everyone, Manma Mia's right. We can worry about all of this later when we get back home. Now is not the time to be pansies and worry around. You all know why we came here, Y'all know that we earned this celebration. So I say this one more time…...DRINK AND EAT ALL YOU LIKE."

"UOHHHHHHHH!" all members of her familia except for a selected few shout in good spirits. The worry slowly working their way out of their space. Their cheer was so loud that it shook the building for a bit.

"PIPE IT DOWN," A howl came from the kitchen, "I CAN'T FEED ALL OF YOU IF YOU KEEP YELLING EVERY 5 SECONDS."

Loki releases a tiny yelp from it, her face showing a little hint of guilt, eliciting some laugh by her own familia. Soon, things already returned to normal. Food comes out, people eating it with joy on their faces, conversation is passed around, their goddess getting hit by Aiz for being a pervert, their lives finally returning to normalcy, except for one.

Riveria was staying silent for the entire time after finishing her report. The elf's face is one of deep concentration and promised pain if she gets interrupted so most of her own familia left her some space. Aiz, beginning to worry about her friend, scoots closer to probe her. She never thought that a single touch on her shoulder would be enough for Riveria to let out a small shriek. The good news is that her friend is back to normal. The bad news, much to Aiz's dissatisfaction, is that she had to spend a minute sitting through Alf pinching her cheeks and giving her a lecture about touching people suddenly.

_Sigh "_Do you finally get it now Aiz?" Her face took on an expression that promise pain to anything beyond a Yes. Aiz, getting the message, replied with a nod.

"But, As much as I would like to believe otherwise, it is also partially my fault that you're worrying about me." Riveria said, gaining another nod from Aiz.

"Did something happen while you were healing him?" her voice grew with concern for her friend. From Aiz's memory, she had never seen Riveria space out except on very rare occasions. Those occasions range from her talking with her family back home, the goddess spending habit, and after a disastrous expedition. Riveria would spend weeks in a bad mood, sending her glare to whoever comes within a feet from her.

"Right…..to be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself." She sighed as her shoulders sag into a comfortable position. "For all my years being alive in this world, I've never encountered someone as strange as that man. I suppose I'll tell you now, I remember what happened the last time I kept something from you."

"Mou~~, you don't need to tell me that again." a pout appears on Aiz's dimples, eliciting a laugh from the elf. "Hai hai, sorry about that. I just need to loosen my mind if I want to tell you this," Her tone suddenly turns serious. "As I said, the circumstances behind the man's injuries are almost as taxing to my brain as the knowledge of what the Fae's reactions to him were."

Aiz looks at her friend with questioning eyes. Her friend isn't the type of person to make up lies about this sort of topic. Riveria, knowing that Aiz wants to know more, continues talking.

"When I cast my healing magic onto him. The Faes started to behave strangely as soon as they came into contact with him. The Faeries started circling around him, almost as if they're doing a dance. They kept chanting certain words over and over again in pure joy. I don't know why they behaved in that way, but I've a duty as an elf to find out. It is unfortunate that I have to ask my grandfather about this, as bothersome as it is." Another sigh escapes her mouth as she finishes her tale. Her hand reaching up towards her forehead to indicate the annoyance of this topic.

"Ahh, there's something I'—" Whatever Aiz wanted to say was cut off when Loki decided to pounce at her. Relying on her instincts, she expertly maneuvers her body away from Loki's trajectory before raising her hand to strike her goddess in her gut, sending her writhing in pain down the floor.

"Honestly," Riveria exhales, completely ignoring the squirming Loki on the floor," You would think that after many threats and physical abuse she's gotten, our goddess would have behave herself by now. Although you hit her a little too hard this time Aiz." She spoke it as if it's something as trivial as the weather, her voice carrying no sympathy towards her god.

Aiz looked at Loki writhing for a moment before a sudden realization hits her. "Oh.. I overdid it."

"HAHA, You sure did Lassie. *Hic* But I'm sure our goddess deserve it. God knows how many complaints we will receive if she's let loose on the street." Gareth says, slightly slurring his words. His voice is already a clear indication that he is drunk.

"OI, don't speak of me like some crazed dog." Loki yaps up from the floor.

"Then stop acting like one. Your attitude is already unbefitting for a goddess." Riveria said, This is already the third time today her goddess has managed to test her patience.

Aiz, feeling that the chance to talk about something is gone, decided to mention it later when they have time. With that, Aiz and Riveria joined with the rest of their familia in celebrating her solo. Yet, everytime she remembers the strange man, her memory automatically zooms into his left arm, a sense of familiarity that she hadn't felt in a long time.

* * *

"_It's hard to become a hero this day" _

_The sight of a man resign to fate._

"_I'll be one for you."_

_The sight of a hopeful young boy in becoming a hero of justice._

"_I ask of you, are you my Master?" _

_The sight of a woman who wished herself to disappear._

"_Yorokobe Shounen" _

_The sight of a priest that doesn't know humanity._

"_Berserker!"_

_The sight of a vengeful young princess who missed her family._

"_I'm her sister!"_

_The sight of a magus who realized the pain she's causing to her sister._

"_I'm sorry...Shirou."_

"_Please Senpai."_

_The sight of two girls, both of them drenched in blood…..by his own hands._

Shirou's golden eyes finally snapped open, his body jerked upwards as he tried to reach something. When he realized it wasn't just a nightmare, the rise of an unknown emotion left him struggling to move. After a minute, Shirou managed to calm himself enough to take note of his current situation.

"I'm….. still alive?" a confused look was etched on Shirou's face as he began to slowly move his body. Most of his wounds were healed, which served to confuse him more. Before he began to ponder about it, Shirou needed to do a self check on his current capabilities.

_Fingers. : Optimal condition_

_Normal Arm : Optimal condition_

_Archer Arm : Sealed_

_Legs. : Optimal condition_

_Body : Optimal condition._

It seemed that someone must have fully healed him while he was unconscious, an experience that seems to keep happening to him. The burn and slash wounds he carried from the battle against corrupt Saber are mostly healed. With his body in working condition, all that remains is to check his 27 Magic circuits. The last time he saw them, they were overheating by the sheer amount of Prana used in his fight to free Sakura and Saber. To see them in working condition stumped him, as long with his healed body. Shirou decided to think about that later, for now, he needs to check his magecraft. Shirou went silent for a couple of seconds before saying his aria.

_Trace On._

What follows next is easily one of the most excruciating pain Shirou felt in his entire life. The only thing that could equate to the pain is when he release the bond of his Shroud of Martin, effectively giving him Archers power in exchange for his body slowly crumbling upon itself. His Circuits flare in sparks as it starts processing the mana in the air, something that overheated it **very quickly. **It feels like there's flowing magma running through his body that continuously burning him inside out. Shirou let out a small scream of pain before forcing his mouth shut, preventing anymore screams escaping except for a muffled one. Shirou had no choice but to forcefully deactivate his magic circuits, stopping the flow of mana into his body.

'_What…..is happening?'_

The mana in the air is **dense, **so dense that even a small portion of it can power up a city for a hundred years. With his meager amount of 27 Magic circuits, he has no way of using his magecraft for the time being without the usage of his Od.

This created a dilemma for Shirou, while tracing normal swords is within the acceptable limits for his Od, anything above that requires Shirou to use Mana. Since the mana is too thick for Shirou to even use, his options are limited to use some nameless sword if he was going to defend himself.

The sound of footsteps cuts Shirou from his thoughts, letting him know that he's still inside this room. Using his ear, the footsteps he heard are light oned. That could mean that the person walking is unarmed, or carrying a weapon small enough to be held by hand. Wordlessly, he prepared to trace some nameless swords if the man or woman is hostile. The footsteps slowed down until it reached its final stop right in front of his door. The handle rustled for a second before the sound of key entering the keyhole was heard. With the key finally unlocking the door, Shirou prepared for the worst.

What he didn't expect was the sight of a beautiful gray haired woman wearing a green one piece dress with a white apron draped over it. The rays of sunset behind her only seemed to highlight her beauty. It would have been a surreal experience if it weren't for the concerned look on her face.

"Hah—hah, are you alright? I heard a scream downstairs and thought there was an attack. Did you receive any injuries?" She asked with a worried voice, her breath still ragged with all the running she's been doing.

Shirou, seeing that she's not hostile, silently dismissed his semi traced swords in the air. Upon seeing that there's a misunderstanding between them, Shirou hoped to fix it quickly before it blew up into something greater.

"It's ok ma'am, there's been no intruder or an attacker in this room. The scream you heard must've been when I had some…..._nightmares _from my dream." Shirou said as he looked at Syr with an understanding eyes.

A chuckle appear from Syr, "Please just call me Syr, Syr flova. Calling me Ma'am makes me sound like an old woman. You wouldn't call a girl old right?"

"Ahh, no that's not what I mean." Shirou cleared his throat, "With that over, it is a pleasure to meet you Syr." Shirou said as he turned his body to the side so he could get up. As soon as he met Syr on an eye level, Shirou extended out his right hand, offering a shake with the young woman.

"Oh my, how bold of you," her suggestive words earn a nervous chuckle from Shirou. When her teasing worked as intended, Syr raised her right hand as well and clasped his hand. "And pray tell, would you be so kind as to grace your name to this young lady?"

A look of hesitation flash on his face before it was replaced by a small smile. "Shirou, Shirou Emiya." With that, both of them shook on it, something that they will reminisce of it in the near future. Back in the present, Shirou decided that enough time has passed and that he shouldo ask about his condition.

"So Syr, mind explaining to me the reason why I'm in bed?"

"Oh, right." a flash of pain went through her face,"Mamma Mia said she saw your body down in some alley four days ago. After seeing how horrible the your state of body was, she decided to bring you back here to get you patched up with the help of an Elf." Syr's explanation perfectly summarized the events leading up to this, most people will get the gist of it, but not Shirou.

'_An alley?' _Shirou thought, his memory prior to him working up didn't match up to her words.

_Fire_

_Bricks_

_Ash_

_Sakura_

_Saber_

Remembering all that elicited a flinch from Shirou, his hand instinctively reaching for his temple. Syr, looking at him with a growing concern and a little guilt on her face.

"Are you re-really alright? Did I say something wrong?" Shirou took a second before his migraine disappeared. Hearing her question, The auburn haired man decided that this could be the only chance for him to gather information. Shirou felt a little guilty for misleading Syr like this, but he needs all the information he could get in this unfamiliar environment.

"I'm sorry Syr, but my memories seem to be fuzzy as of lately. Could you tell me where I am currently?"

Syr Flova is by far one of the nicest people in Orario. Her big heartedness in helping strangers have led to some of them getting the opportunity to turn their lives forever. When she saw Shirou being carried in a bloody state and hearing the Elf's report, her heart shattered. So the thought of Shirou lying about his loss of memory never occurred in her mind. All of thoughts inside her were already centered around helping him.

"Sure thing, Shirou. The place you're staying in right now is called the Hostess of Fertility. Where we are right now is the residential section of the Pub. Our restaurant is situated in the city of Orario, the only city in the world that has a dungeon!" She took the time to bring a chair from the side and rested her body on it. Then, she started to talk about the entire history behind the city, something that was both a blessing and a curse to Shirou. With her telling the story, Shirou gained a lot of information about this situation.

'_So that's why the air is so dense with mana. This place, or should I say this world, is at the time where it is still the Age of Gods. What is most baffling is the thought that those said gods are now living on Earth.' _Shirou decided that seeing the library after Syr's story would be beneficial for him to learn more about his situation.

By the time she realized she went through one of her spiels, Syr's face was lit up by several shades of red,

"Awawa...I'm terribly sorry for this. I've a hobby for sharing stories with other people. Sometimes, I can get too overexcited about it." a hand went back towards her head, showing her regretful expression.

Shirou let out a small laugh, causing Syr to pout in embarrassment. "Mou Shirou, don't laugh at me like that."

"Sorry, Sorry, your reaction is just similar to another person I once knew." Shirou immediately began regretting his words. _'Damn, curse my mouth.'_ His face scrunching up as he tried to devise a plan to save himself from a hole inside his alibi, not knowing his natural reaction cause a misunderstanding to Syf.

'_He must have remembered something awful.' _Syf's guilt suddenly doubled when she assumed the cause for this.

"Sorry, I must have triggered some bad memories for you. Since my presence here only jogs nothing but painful memories, I will excuse myself." Before she could turn around a, hand shot out, quickly grabbing her right shoulder. The grip is strong, but with enough force to not feel uncomfortable from it. A small yelp escaped her mouth as her surprised eyes look at a steely golden eyes.

"While the action does indeed bring back some bad memories, the past is already in the past. Even when those memories cause pain to me, it is much better than not remembering at all. So thank you, Syr, for helping me remember my past." Shirou let out a smile. His face taking on the expression of understanding.

Syr, completely off guard, could only laugh at her predicament. Her new friend is quite a lady killer. "You know you're quite a confusing individual."

'_So I've heard multiple times by different people.' _Shirou thought with a chuckle, now knowing when to keep his mouth shut.

Both of them looked at each other for a while before the moment was cut off when another person entered the room. It was a Nekojin, her two light brown cat ears and tail stuck out from her uniform, making her appearance rather exotic. Shirou was caught off guard by this. It's one thing to hear about the many kinds of Demi-human races living here, it's another to see them right in front of his eyes. A race that's closer to the phantasmal beasts are still walking and living in this world. While Shirou is mulling over this, Syr's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Anya, what are you doing here?"

"I should be the one saying that! It's Dinner dash hour right now and you should have been there five minutes ago. Our kitchen and staff are already working hard right now so we need all hands on deck." Anya said in distress.

"Ri-right, I completely forgot about it. Anyway, I'll be seeing you later Shirou. There's a job that I need to catch up to." Syr sent her last smile at Shirou before running alongside Anya to the main building. Shirou gazed toward the opened door, his thoughts to help her contradicted with his resolve of living a life without being a Hero of Justice. But then,...even then…, even when he's not a hero of justice anymore, _It is never wrong to help others._

With that conviction, Shirou steps out of his room.

* * *

If you could describe one word about the situation in The hostess of Fertility right now, it would be _**Hectic**_. The place is full, The waitress are going through the cracks of space to serve the food, the Kitchen is just full of cooking, and the orders _just keep coming._

"Oi! Is my Marinated Fish done yet?" an old man asks the waitress, his choice of clothing clearly indicates him to be an Adventurer with his leather armor and a black shirt tucked underneath. His face is grizzled with his beard white and trimmed. Even his unruly slick backhair has the color of white in it. He has the feeling of seniority to him, someone who knows their stuff for a long time. But those feelings are masked by the goofy smile he has on his face.

"I'm truly sorry sir, Your dish would not come for another five minutes. If you would like, we could offer a pay reduction to the food you order. we're sincerely apologize for the inconvenience." Lunoire Faust reply back with a regretful expression. Tonight just has to be one of the most crowded it has ever been, it didn't help that some customers are just plain annoying and are just too wild. Even her uniform has some spilled food and drink stains on them.

"No need for that Lass, if I could wait for the dish for five minutes, another five minutes wouldn't hurt." The old man laughed good naturedly. His lip curled an understanding smile that meant no harm. "To be honest, I thought I could have some quick snacks right before I called it a day but it seems that the restaurant is filled to the brim. Could you put my order in a To-go box please? It would be greatly appreciated."

The waitress smiled happily at the old man. Adventurers that have basic etiquette in a pub is rare nowadays, the presence of a once calm and lively people are replaced by the hot blooded individuals that think themselves higher than they should be. It most certainly has caused quite a commotion several times during her work day. To see one of those rare adventurers improved her mood.

"Sure. Right away sir, Could you please tell me your name so we could call you when the foods ready?"

"Kischur, just Kischur." He said his name while flashing his Ruby eyes. a mischievous expression overcoming his face.

* * *

Mia's Kitchen is as hectic as the dining room. Dirty plates are stacked in the sinks to full capacity, the 4 stoves are running in full order with most of the flames covered with pans and pots. The oven below it is continuously burning in full power. Right in the middle of this mess, is Mia Grand.

It is a sight to behold, a woman in her 40's managing to expertly cook the foods on the pans and preparing for the next batch of meal at the same time. The quality of the dish never seemed to diminish even with all that's happening. A young Nekojin could be seen in the dishwasher area as she was trying her hardest to scrub the plate clean. Her hand is covered in soap so much that it looks as clean as a baby's bottom. While they look like they have the situation under control. The mess proved how taxing it is for the both of them as they're works keep piling up.

"Mia, Sorry for being gone for a while." Syr voice is heard loud and clear for the both of them. May, the young nekojin with squeaky hand, hollered at the latecomer. "Thank the gods you're finally here Syr. Quick, help me clean the dishes. At this rate, we are going to run out of them sooner than we can clean them."

"Right." Syr quickly joined May in fighting the terrifying dishwasher. Anya, coming back from her fetch quest, immediately join the fray in the dining room. The dwarf, seeing her workload decrease a bit, is surprised to hear another set of footsteps coming from the backdoor. '_Strange,' _She thought, '_Everyone is currently in the Pub right now. There shouldn't be anyone back at the house, unless….'_

Her suspicion is confirmed when the person coming out from the door is the young man she rescued four days ago. _'It seems he has awoken.' _Any further thought is discarded when Shirou let his eyes moves from left to right, surveying the kitchen with critical gaze. After ten seconds, he quickly walked up to Mia, a hand reaching out toward her.

"Let me help." Shirou said.

"Kid… do you even know how to cook?"

"While I'm unfamiliar with this kind of workspace, I believe my experience in cooking is enough to counter that."

Mia's stop her activity to look at Shirou face, trying to detect any lies or fakeness in his voice. When she discovered that he has none, and had a determined look on his face, Mia let out a booming laugh.

"Alright kid, you've earned my respect. Go grab that fish over there and start marinating it. But know this, if you let out a single mistake while handling that fish, then you're out of this kitchen. Do you understand me?" Mia add a little hint of threat behind her voice, a final test from her to see if he could do it.

Shirou, deciding to not say anything to her threat, preferring to give the dwarf a nod before he starts working. When he went to the work station, he got his sight on a knife. While others may see it as just any other normal knife, Shirou view it as a buried treasure. His magic, Projection,

let him create a copy of the blade he trace while also replicate everything the wielder and the blade had gone through when he trace that blade. Every battle, every training, every swing, every cut, all of it can be obtained through it. With this kitchen knife, it is possible for Shirou to gain knowledge of this restaurant's food through it. While Shirou still couldn't use the mana in the air to trace, a simple thing like a knife is low enough for him to trace it with his Od.

_Trace on_

_Judging the concept of creation._

_A gift from a blacksmith toward a woman he admired._

_Hypothesizing the basic structure._

_made from materials found within a dungeon._

_Duplicating the composition material_

_A common material, but one of high quality._

_Imitating the skill of its making_

_The hours spent in the forge making it._

_Sympathizing with the experience of its growth_

_The Years spent cooking inside the Hostess of Fertility by a level 6 adventurer. the ingredients it cut, the dish it created._

_Reproducing the accumulated years_

_Copying the cooking skill of Mia Grand._

_Excelling every manufacturing process_

_Pieces all of that information into one._

_With that, The first knife was traced._

After making sure no one saw his projection, Shirou immediately set out to work.

Syr, who just recently finished her share in cleaning, could hardly believable her eyes. Shirou, who's just four days ago, on death's door and a newcomer to the kitchen, is moving his body with grace. There's no wasted movement in his cutting, he looked so natural about it. He even sliced the fish in an evenly order. it's almost like she's seeing a cooking god in action.

With his job done, Shirou next objective is to season the cut up fish. The knife generously supplied him with the knowledge of the spices, causing Shirou to instantly compare them to his old world ingredients.

"Hey Mia, do you know where you kept the Teargrass and Spicechoy?" Shirou asked, his eyes never once leaving his target.

"It's in the second level of the cabinet right above you." Mia hollered back, with a little break from work, She look at the kid to see his progress. The dwarf was flabbergasted by the sheer neatness of the fish. Both sides are evenly cut, bones could not be seen on the side, indicating that the fish is boneless. Even the meat is showing a bright red color which tells you it's a good quality skinning. Mia could only laugh in relief before going back to work. _'Heh, to think my worry is for nothing, the kid really knows his stuff._'

What followed next is the sight of Shirou cooking with Mia while periodically asking questions relating to the placement of the tools and ingredients with Mia's answering every one of them. Both of them look completely synergized with one another, almost as if both are the same person. Soon, foods came out faster than what was thought possible and everyone in the Pub gets to enjoy their meal.

"What's this?!" A young adventurer shouted. His mouth left agape after he tasted his fried Ugandalfan fish. the crisps of the dried skin, the oily substances that leaked out of it, even the taste of the meat were perfect, _It must be the work of a god._

"IT'S SO GOOD!"

"HEY MAN, you really gotta tried this fried noodle."

"Wha-ha the, This is the best taste I ever experienced in my entire life."

Similar discussions and shouts occured inside the Pub. the patrons, who hadn't gotten their order yet, became curious. Even the waitresses had their curiosity raised due it being from their own kitchen. The staff knew their food, they also knew that some of the reacting customers are long time, ones so their dish shouldn't have made such a huge reaction. All of them thought _'What exactly happened back there?'_

Shirou, oblivious to the crowd's reaction, has finally finished the marinated fish. His expert hand quickly put it inside a wooden box before handing it to Syr. "One marinated fish on the go."

"Hai, let me brought it out for you." With that, Syr walks toward the dining room and call out the Client name.

"One to go Marinated dish for Kischur! Is Kischur still inside the building?"

"Oh, that would be me Ojou-chan." Tall, that's the word that could describe the man at first glance. His height could easily reach 190 cm in length. Even Syr had to look up so that she could meet his eyes. He would look intimidating if it weren't for the huge smile on his face. "I've been waiting for this." Without haste, after accepting the payment, Syr carefully handed over the content to his hand.

"Thank you for your patronage."

A chuckle could be heard from him as he exited the door. His back already facing Syr. What followed next would only serve to confuse Syr more when she thought about it. "Tell that young man that his cooking is fine as always."

Then, as if magic happen, the old man instantly disappeared to the crowd of people. Syr ponder upon it for a minute before resuming her duty in serving food, not knowing of the action that old men will do in the future.

* * *

With the Pub closing its door to people, the diner has officially ended its Dinner dash. All of the staff met up in the dining room to celebrate their survival.

"Haahhh, my back is killing me." Anya said, her body lurched over the counter as she finally got the chance to rest.

"I feel you Anya, who knows why did we get that many customers in the first place." Chloe echoed back.

"Well Well, it seems you girls survive yet another night!" Mia joined in with a laugh.

"Oh Mia, good timing. What was with the food you served halfway through Dinner dash? People are going crazy about those dishes." Anya asked as she straightened her back.

"Yeah Mia, Those people kept ordering from us even after finishing two meals. It's great for our profits, but my leg is already hurting from the back and forth." Chloe said.

"Hehe, This time, it wasn't my strength alone. Cmon out, you got to introduce yourself." Mia called back to the kitchen.

"One sec," a voice of a man replied back, causing surprise to both of the waitress.

"We have a boy working here?" Chloe and Anya asked, having a look of shock on their faces.

"Nah, he decided to help out during the whole fiasco." As Mia was talking about him, the door from the kitchen snapped open, revealing the man who save them from their crisis.

"I'm sorry for being late, there's some leftover food that haven't been used so I would appreciate if we could finish all of them. I don't like seeing foods like this wasted." The auburn haired man said with a smile. With his hand holding the plate, he expertly placed it in front of the girls, showing the wide variety of food in it.

"It looks more like a buffet than a leftover meal." Syr said in good nature.

"Who cares, my stomach is hungry right now and I need my calories!" Anya shout, instantly digging on said food. She stopped for a moment after the first bite, her expression looks like she got hit by lightning.

"Ahh, is it not good for you?" Shirou asked with concern, maybe there's something allergic inside his food to nekojin people.

"_not good?" _Anya took in the biggest air she could possibly could, "IT'S AMAZINGLY GOOD." a booming shout come from her small mouth, causing the people around her to send her looks of surprise . "How are you so good at cooking, this is already one of the most delicious dishes I ever taste in my life. What kind of food god did you learn it from?"

"Ahh no, I was self taught in cooking." Shirou chuckled, memories from his time making food resurfacing back into his mind.

"EHHHH, But it's impossibly good for a human to make." Anya state at disbelief.

"Let me try." Syr and the rest of the staff all took turns tasting it.

"Oh my Shirou, i didn't know you're such a good cook" Syr said, her hand covering her mouth in surprise.

"It's really tasty, I didn't know something could be so good coming from the kitchen."

"Me too."

"I'm glad that you like it then." Shirou let out a genuine smile on his face. It's been so long since he cooked for people, their joy of eating his food is already enough for Shirou to feel happy.

"I sure hope you do. Because now you're going to be our chef inside the kitchen." Mia said with a laugh, eliciting a shocked look from everyone, including Shirou.

'_I didn't know that.'_

"EHHHHH SERIOUSLY, LET'S GO, now I could eat this kind of meal every single day." Anya screams, her enthusiasm is spreading toward other staff as they began to smile themselves.

"Are you sure you're okay with this Shirou, you could decline it if you want to?" Syr asked, knowing Mia is known for her impulsiveness.

"It's fine, I've always wanted to be a chef while I'm growing up, so with this happening, I guess it's a dream come true." Shirou said

"Cmon Lad," Mia said' " You haven't introduced yourself yet."

"Alright." Shirou moved toward the center of the room. With him gathering everyone's attention, Shirou ponders on how to introduce himself best. Then, a memory resurfaced from deep inside Shirou memory, a memory that he will always cherish to the end of time.

'_In the shed, with his back against the wall. He looked at her with awe. For she is perfect, the moonlight behind her only served to highlight her beauty. Her countenance is spoke of power and nobility. Yet, a kind smile graced her beautiful face. Her words she spoke will change Shirou's fate entirely.'_

With his nostalgia running at full swing, He decided to try mimicking Saber countenance. After a moment of silence, Shirou began to speak, "My name is Shirou Emiya, and as of today, I am a chef in the Hostess of Fertility. I ask of you, are you my co-worker?"

* * *

(_**Omake**_)

"Hmm, no no you shouldn't do that." Mia's voice could be heard chastising Shirou about something. It seemed serious judging by the tone of her voice.

"But I did every step right?" Shirou is honestly baffled by this. Every ingredient he encountered in this kitchen could be cut, flattened, or even ground by tools. They seemed like they just wouldn't do it. Even when Shirou traced a grade A noble phantasm knife, it still wouldn't cut it.

"Like I'm saying, you don't cook them like that." Mia's pull Shirou to the side. "This is how people really cook." Flashing a grin, the dwarf collects all the ingredients into her arms….

_and proceeds to throw it all on to the pan._

.

.

.

'_What the….'_

Then, something happens to them that is borderline true magic. Water seems to appear out of thin air as it starts cooking the ingredients inside, Those said ingredients all jump in the air as they start circling the pan. Then, after ten seconds, smoke started to appear. When the smoke dissipated, it revealed a high class dish expertly placed on a plate…

'_...How did a plate get in there?"_

"See, it's easy to do it and you don't have to waste much time cooking stuff. This Pan is surely awesome." Mia chime in, sending the final attack that caused Shirou to faint.

before he lost consciousness, he thought to himself with irony in it.

'_My life is a lie.' _

With that, Shirou Emiya, a man who survived the holy grail war, was defeated by a frying pan.

Somewhere in Orario, an old man could be seen laughing his ass off. Nobody knew what caused that, but it seemed pretty funny.

* * *

**AN : FINALLLYYYYY, AHHH MY HANDS ARE BURNING RN. Seriously, Being a pantser is just hard for me currently. Even now, i've make mistakes that cause some little change into the plot I was originally going for.**

**Also, I'm doing all of this on my phone, So applauds me for my supreme power. Seriously, my thumbs now have a flat side on it by the sheer number of times i press on the screen. I also believe my phone is breaking down because of this. But, I quite enjoy writing stuff, so I will continue to do so until i get a laptop. **

**Also, THANK YOU for helping this story reach 150 likes and 250 follows. it's baffled me that there's many people like this story when it has a shitty prologue and a sub par mid prologue. Nevertheless, I give to you all, the final chapter of the prologue. **

**Danmachi S2 is already out, so be sure to check it out. A pirate life's never end.**

**Also, to clarify, the chapter before this is supposed to be a prologue, not the first chapter, so I sincerely apologize for that. That's one of the bad perks for being a pantser for me. I just don't think that far ahead. as of now, I already make some basic direction that I want to story goes so be sure to tune in so it should not happen again.**

**Btw, did you like to Omake? This is my gift to you for shocking me with this many follows in the span of 4 days, Who knew lol. Points to people that figure it out where did i take that reference from. It should be obvious, like previous question. but i would like to see your thoughts. There's many more fun stuff that i could imagine happening with Shirou being in Orario but i leave that for future chapters.**

**Wilt all that said, Constructive criticism and review are welcome. i don't own danmachi and Fate, Yadda Yadda Yadda, this AN is too long. **

**(Now onto the review)**

**Guest that said i should check the wiki: OMFG you're a lifesaver. I literally found the exact page i need to find about Riveria magic. Since this is already too late for that, i'll be sure to check the wiki more when i'm writing.**

**The rupture: Well, you gotta read to find out buddy.**

**Newbi SIOC and lorgron ; Pairing is undecided for now, but I'm open for suggestion. Still, this is like early stage of this fic right now, so who knows.**

**Kinunatz the eternal: Yeah, i just realize that when i'm writing this chapter. So my quick thinking solution with genius IQ is to make all that a Prologue with that being the start of this all and the next chapter being the start of the main shit, genius right?**

**Darcus6 : Hey, i know you. you're that guy that keep leaving suggestion to author about an akame ga kill crossover with Fate. Hmm, i'm not really sure if that prompt is really my think, mostly because i never got D'Eon in FGO lol.**

**Enigma95 : Yes, I am aware for her. But, in this story, which happen quite some time before Canon. May just recently join the Hostess of Fertility, meaning she haven't learn to become a chef there. I'm planning future stuff for her so stay in tune.**

**And to the rest of you who compliments me about my first fic, i give you my most heartfelt thanks you to you all, and a therapist because idk why did people have interest for this story after a shit beginning prologue xD.**

**Well, with all that out of the way, and I'm just not totally boost my word count from AN alone, i see you all in the next chapter.**

**Peace.**


	4. Chapter 1 : Croquettes and Clothes

_**Morning**_

The time of the day where the sun starts shining its usual glow as the city of Orario welcomes its presence; citizens are waking up, shops are opening their stores, and adventurer's set out to earn money in the dungeon. In all of this hustling and bustling in the street, there lies The Hostess of Fertility. The Pub that sleeps peacefully in the sun ray of light while shines its bright and cheerfulness in the waking hours of the night.

The ray of morning light basked a certain room inside the Hostess of Fertility. The room could be called spartan if judged by the lack of trinkets. The space only housed the basic necessities for a human to live comfortably; bed, closets, desk, chair, and a window overlooking the street. On this particular bed, Shirou could be seen sitting on top of it. His legs intersecting each other as his eyes closed in concentration. As he finally settled down into a comfortable position, Shirou moves his right arm forward, making the fingers bent like he's trying to grab a hilt. When he got into posture, he spoke his Aria.

"_Trace On"_

A single bright green line flows through Shirou's right arm. The magic circuits seem to be working fine for a second. But, as time goes on, The light green hue seeming to be growing brighter and brighter much like the deepening scowl on Shirou's face. Soon, the green line let out a series of sparks, forcing Shirou to stop the flow of mana into his magic circuits.

'_Today's no good huh.'_ Shirou let out a sigh as he scratched his head in frustration. This is already the twentieth time he had tried siphon the mana in the air into his circuits. And for the twentieth time, his endeavor was met with no success. The mana is like a wild current, a never ending torrent of waves that could not be captured. Compared to this, the mana in Shirou's old world was like a small pond, easily taken in and used to activate his magecraft.

'_Well, no time to worry about spoiled milk.'_ After finishing relaxing his right arm, he started changing into his casual clothes. His closet only has 3 sets of clothes, two of them being the same clothes while the outlier is his previous garment. After a minute of waiting, Shirou looked at himself in the mirror. What used to be a torn white shirt with blue sleeves is replaced with a mustard colored shirt with a brownish unbuttoned trench coat, perfectly covered the red shroud that hid his Archer arm. His black polyester jeans is replaced with a cotton version of it. To complete the piece, brown boots and gloves occupying their respective position make him stand out less in the crowd than his ruined clothing. Shirou let out a small sigh in remembrance of memories when Anya and Syr decide for him to get new clothes.

**(Flashback)**

"No."

"Bu-but."

"No means no! Honestly Shirou, for being somewhat good looking, you do have a bad taste in fashion." Syr said, shaking her head toward Shirou.

Shirou's natural response was to smile and scratch his head awkwardly. He seriously believed that the clothes that he picked are the ones for him. Yet, he has been getting into this argument with Syr and Anya for about two hours now and it's honestly started to unnerve him. Their clothing taste seem to never see eye to eye with each respective party.

"Seriously, all of the clothes that you pick are boring while the awesome attire we manage to grab doesn't seem to interest you. It's a wonder how you survive in this world with such a bad taste in clothing." Anya said, looking at Shirou with a judging glare.

"Haha," Shirou let out a nervous chuckle, "I don't think that the choice of my clothes affects my survivability in the outside world."

Syr didn't believe it, "But still, men should at least look presentable while they are outside."

After that, Syr and Anya keep pestering Shirou about his fashion sense. When it started to bother the people around them, Shirou finally relented.

"Fine, fine, let's see what store you want to go."

"Yosh, come on." Anya pulled Shirou by the collar, effectively dragging him off the street. _'Whoa… Anya is quite strong for her petite size.' _Shirou thought. He knew his current weight well, and he also knew that the nekojin arms isn't supposed to be strong enough to manhandle him. _'Are the people in this world so similar to that of a servant?' _Shirou shelved that thought in mind, promising himself to look at it more later.

After about five minutes of running, Anya finally brought them to a clothing store, more specifically, an Adventurers clothing store. The clothes displayed come with all shape and size that cater toward the masses. People dressed in armor could be seen coming and going from the shop, it is a rather common sight in this area.

"Anya! we can't go there. Shirou isn't an adventurer you know?!" Syr cried out, her breathing still ragged from all the running they did.

"Nya, but we've already seen all the civilians one that we know! We're just going to look around and see if something will fit Shirou. You know those adventurers have all the cool clothes right?" Anya wave Syr concerned off. as far as she's concerned, the adventurer shop is no different than the rest of the civilian store.

"But Shirou isn't an Adventurer. Are you going to become an Adventurer Shirou?" Syr turn her attention toward Shirou.

Shirou pondered for a moment. From what Shirou heard from Syr yesterday, you need to get a god's blessing in order to enter the dungeon. Those blessings in the form of Falna can work wonders to a human body; strength, agility, endurance, and even mana. The only thought that stopped Shirou from joining one, is that he will have to serve a God. According to the history from weapons Shirou managed to glanced from Archer's memories, serving a god had brought nothing but pain towards heroes. With no sufficient knowledge of how this world works, Shirou could only go back to those experiences.

"Don't worry Syr, I don't plan to become an adventurer for the foreseeable future." Shirou reassure Syr worries.

"Thank goodness." Syr let out a breath of relief.

"Still," Anya interjected," We should at least look at the clothes here."

"I'd suppose we could." Syr yield to Anya request with a surrendered look.

"Great, c'mon big guy, let's find some good clothes for you." Anya figure steadily disappear into the rows of garments inside the store.

"I'm not even that big…" Shirou sighed in resignation as he joined in. There, they spent about ten minutes in the store. Shirou almost admit defeat that there's no clothes that would fit him until something caught his eyes. A mannequins stood in the corner of shop displaying a set of clothes. Mustard color shirt that is slightly covered with a brown short trench coat with pockets on its side. A red cloth draped around the neck with some siding on his left arm. A loose belt tucking around the waist carrying a bag with it. The pants are those of a black cotton with small armor piece right around the knees.

Using structural analysis, Shirou discover that the material of the clothes were in good condition, there were no slight blemishes on the clothes, and the armor guards on the knees were made by a good blacksmith. To put the cherry on top, these clothes are brand new, judging from the state of it and a slightly above average price.

"Shirou…. Shirou!" A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. His checked the situation around him before looking at Anya.

"Ahh sorry, I was spacing out for a sec." Shirou uttered his apology.

"It's fine," Anya wave his apology off, her eyes finally landed on the object of Shirou's interest. "But still, maybe you're not as hopeless as we thought." She began to inspect the clothes that encaptured Shirou; the price, the state of the clothes, the size of it, all of which Shirou had already done with his magecraft.

"Oh my, did Anya pick this out for you?" Syr walked towards them with a surprised look on her face.

"Nah, Shirou been looking at this thing for the last five minutes, I had to shout his name twice before he came back to his senses." Anya complained, her eyes still haven't left the mannequin.

"Ara, I didn't know Shirou isn't a loss cause." Syr said.

"...Please stop talking like I'm not here." Shirou said in exasperation, causing a giggling fit for both of the waitresses.

"Yosh, this looks good. Now, try it on Shirou." Anya said, surprising Shirou when she expertly took the clothes from the mannequin and folded it into a neat pack.

"Right now?" Shirou inquired.

"YES!" Both of them shouted, "Now go get it on."

"Fine, fine, do you know where the dressing room is?" Shirou sighed as he took the folded clothes from Anya's hands.

"It's right in the corner next to the counter, you should see the sign for it." Syr answered, her memories still fresh from her stroll around the shop.

"Alright, I'll be back in a minute." With that, Shirou disappeared into the Fitting room.

"Do you think it will fit?" Syr asked.

"Don't worry," Anya said, flashing her own catlike smile. "I know it will."

After about two minutes of waiting, both of them widen their eyes at the sight of Shirou. Gone is the look of haggardness in his body, it was replaced by the sight of completeness to it. The shirt and jacket complementing Shirou's body well. The red cloth drip on his shoulder looks like an extension toward Shirou's Shroud of Martin. Even the pants looked good on him. Overall, his clothes gave him a huge boost in the looks compared to his old outfit.

"Ara, Shirou, I didn't know you were this good looking." Syr said, her eyes still observing Shirou's body.

"Same, I mean, you're good, but I didn't know you were that good." Anya also said her piece.

"I'm glad that both of you like it but can we finish this now." Shirou said with nervousness in his voice. The female population inside the shop are already starting to notice of him.

"Right, right. Anya, could you get another set of it please. Shirou and I will be waiting at the counter."

"Understood." With that, Anya walk off to search for another set.

"So how's the clothes Shirou?" Syr asked, by the looks of it, it looks quite pleasant.

"It's comfortable, there's enough space between my skin and the clothes for an easier time to move around. I'd say, Adventurers attire really are a higher quality than civilian garments."

"I'm glad to hear that." Syr said, both of them make small talk with each other before Anya return with another set of clothes. As they proceeded to buy the clothes, Shirou add a sewing kit into the list of things.

(**Flashback** **end)**

After making sure his attire was fine, Shirou went downstairs to start training his body. The last two days have been jammed pack for Shirou that he couldn't train himself, with the lax schedule today, he decided it's finally time for his work out. The second floor courtyard is quite large given its size, the area is roughly the same length as the kitchen and the dining room combined. When Shirou reached it, he started doing the normal routine.

_Push-up._

_Sit up._

_Running._

_and finally, Swordsmanship._

Shirou began to trace two shinai from his memories, the wooden swords that Shirou used while sparring with Saber. While it doesn't contain a hint of blade within them, it still carries the essence of a sword, something that help Shirou trace it better. but before he could do it, a sound was heard from the stairs.

"Ohh, boy, it is unusual for you to be here." Mia appeared. Her voice slightly intrigued by the presence of Shirou. During the two days that Shirou been staying here, he never once set foot into the second floor. Shirou, almost let out his secret, could only chuckle nervously.

"I used to train a lot back then with swords. Even now, I still go through my basic training just from habit." Shirou smiles at the nostalgia of it. Even with the whole Holy Grail War happening, it still feels nice to do some training for his body.

"Haha, as they say, you can never train too much. Say Shirou, you're good with swords right?" Mia asked, her voice grew more interest in the conversation.

"I say I could handle myself well with a bladed weapon." Shirou replied, clueless to Mia thought process. With the amount of experience gathered during the Holy Grail War and Archer memories, Shirou is more than enough to hold his own against someone.

"Good. Would you be willing to spar with me?" Mia said, her request came out of the blue.

"A spar?" Shirou asked, his voice showing his hesitance toward the idea.

"Ay. You see, these old bones have been rusting for 5 years now. I've trained here and there, but never against a live opponent. So, you up for it?" Mia inquired. her simple excuse masked her real motive. When she found Shirou in his bloodied state, she believed that it was just Shirou being in the wrong place and the wrong time with an adventurer. Yet, after hearing his input from his training and his demeanor, Mia became more confused on how did Shirou become such a mess.

"I don't think this is a good idea." Shirou voiced his thoughts.

"Nahh, I will hold back. Can't have a sixth level adventurer fight a civilian without it being a one sided battle. Come on, it'll be interesting." Mia reassured Shirou. In her mind, she pictured this as just a friendly and harmless spar.

"I still think this is a bad idea." Shirou still adamant on his answer

"Fine," Mia sigh. "I've never think of you as being quite a wussies in a fight. How about this, If you manage to impress me in this friendly spar, I could answer one of your questions." Mia offered.

The reward change the somewhat harmless spar to a battle that Shirou must win. Shirou believed this could be his chance to get some answers about this world. His trouble with magic, the state of gods here, even the dungeon itself. With that much going into this spar, Shirou had no choice but to accept.

"Good, in that locker over there, you should see a collection of wooden swords hanging from there. I'll let you pick which one is the best for you." like she said, there's indeed a wide locker on the side of the indoor courtyard. In there, there's a wide selection of swords. Rapier, longsword, katana, scimitar, and…Falchions.

Shirou instantly gravitated toward the set of Falchions. They looked somewhat similar to his own Kanshou and Bakuya yet not quite the same as them. A twin swords forged by the wife sacrificed and the husband grief could never be replicated into a wooden sword. As he took them, Shirou noticed that they were lighter and unbalanced given its wooden state. Yet, despite the imperfection, Shirou still choose them over any other weapon.

"Oh, a falchion user, it's rare nowadays to meet people who practice them." Mia had a moment of nostalgia in her mind. "Young men these days are all about the bigger the sword is, the better it is. Hmph Fallacy, they just swing their swords without a hint of technique within them. All of them just relying on brute strength to cover for it. I hope you show me those skills, Shirou." With that, Mia quickly grabbed a wooden longsword and entered her stance.

"I will try not to disappoint." Shirou said, entering his own personal stance as well.

.

.

.

"...Are you mocking me?" Mia's tone carried no cheerfulness behind it.

"I assure you, I will not disappoint you." Shirou placated Mia's anger.

"Hmph, a stance littered with holes like that could get you killed before you realize it." Mia, being a good natured person, decided to try giving advice on Shirou's personal stance. The holes are so glaringly obvious that any adventurer with a two bit brain in them could easily point it out.

"Like I said previously, I will not disappoint you."

"Young men these days…" Mia repeat her word in her mind before launching herself at Shirou. While normal people could only see her after images, Shirou's experience with Berserker help his eyes to keep track on Mia. Her sword aimed toward his right hip, one of the glaring obvious holes within his defense. It may seem like Mia got this fight in the bag. But, something unexpected happened.

When Mia's sword was about a few centimeters before Shirou's right hip, he switched the grip of his right sword into a reverse position before thrusting it down to meet the incoming sword. Using structural analysis, Shirou inferred from the longsword weight that Mia Grand was strong, stronger than any humans he knows, excluding servants. Shirou calculated that given his strength now, he couldn't possibly hope to block it head on even when he reinforced his arm. So, before the swords meet each other, Shirou moved a step back just when the sword hits and prepared his archer arm for a swing. With the force of knockback from the longsword, Shirou spun around it before swinging his left Falchion toward Mia.

It happened so fast that only Mia's experience as an Adventurer save her from being hit, Her head narrowly miss the Falchion. _'Ohh...this boy got experience.'_ Mia thought, already putting Shirou in her good book. The way he capitalized on her strength to increase his swinging speed spoke volumes of his instinct. though it raises some concerns on the power level of his previous opponents. _'Just who did you offend Shirou?'_ any further thought is suspended as Mia's focus back into the fight.

With Shirou's attack miss, she quickly took advantage of the opportunity by sending a straight kick toward him. Still suspended in the air, Shirou couldn't evade the attack in time. He could maybe cancel the attack if he used his projection, but it's entirely wasteful to give out his trump card right from the start. All he could do was reinforce his chest and swords and meet the kick head on.

_**Thud**_

To say the kick was strong is an understatement. Shirou felt as if Saber had struck him right in the center point of his guard. A level six adventurer even when holding back still has quite a punch in their strength. The kick was strong enough to send Shirou quite a few meters away from the fight. As he's approaching the ground, Shirou maneuvered his body so that he could roll back and send some of the inertia to the ground. After the successful roll back, he steadied himself before gathering up his strength to launch his own attack, before he could do that however,

"Sorry, sorry, I accidentally put more force on the kick than I should've. Let's end this here." Mia said, she's already entered a relaxed posture. " I could already tell that you're good at swords, but you need to work on that self destructive technique you have."

Shirou calmed himself down before offering only an apologetic smile, even when Saber had been insisting for him to take on her sword style, Shirou still believed that Archer's style worked best for him. With the steady supply of Archer's memories going through him, Shirou could already tell that nothing is better for him than that. It honestly made Shirou wonder why he felt that way, Archer isn't like a future version of Shirou or something. He still has suspicion, but without a strong base of evidence, all that suspicion only lead to a hypothesis.

"It's good that you're aware of it. But, if you dare to die from using that suicide technique, I will personally march toward your soul and beat you black and blue for letting Syr cry, do you understand me!?" While she said it in a joking manner, Shirou could feel the bloodlust hidden under it.

"I'll keep that mind." Shirou let out a silent gulp with his response.

"Good, now ask me a question. You earned it fair and square." Mia said, her voice already returning to normal.

Shirou pondered about this for a moment, Mama Mia could be described as a small encyclopedia. Any question on his mind could be answered. Shirou wondered if he should use this opportunity to ask about this world's magic, but decided against it. From what he could hear from the dining room during his shift, top adventurers like those from the Freya and Loki Familia all have magic on their own. It is more wise to ask that question from a top rated caster than a warrior like Mia. So with that, Shirou ask the second thing on his mind.

"Could you tell me the state of gods in Orario?"

"Huh?" Mia inquired, honestly baffled by the question. "Are sure this is what you want to ask?"

"Yes."

"Well then…" Mia pondered for a moment," Let's start from the top..." With that, Mia began to describe the gods and goddess she saw during her time as an adventurer. The gods that she put on the good, bad, or just plain weird list give Shirou a good insight into the inner workings of the city. '_This could give me some advantages in the coming future.' _

"By the way Shirou, are you planning to join a familia?" Mia asked, her eyes harden for his answer.

"No no, I just want to know which god I need to be looking out for" Shirou reassures her.

Mia sighed in relief, it's a good thing that her recent money maker is still here. Customers had been going crazy about his cooking. After a minute of small talk, Mia then headed toward the stairs.

"Just so you know, your shift starts when it is sunset. So, you have about six hours of free time. Be sure you're back by then." when Mia recieve a nod, she went down the stairs, finally out of Shirou's field of vision.

"Well, I guess it's time for sightseeing." With that Shirou left the Hostess of Fertility to explore the street.

* * *

The market in the main street of Orario is overflowing with shops and stands selling a variety of stuff. Those stuff could range from food ingredients to potions and weapons. The closer it is toward the dungeon, the more crowded it seemed. Inside the jammed packed street,

"Ara, Shirou-chan, how's your day been going?" An old woman called out toward the crowd from her shop. Inside said crowd, Shirou looked around for a second before he found the source of the sound.

"Hello, It's been a great day for me." Shirou replied respectfully. His face painted with an ever kind smile. Elena Troy is one of those old lady's that knows her way around the street. People in the surrounding area have a sort of respect toward her since she helped them get on their feet somewhere in the past. Even Mia Grand received help from her when starting out her own pub. She could be a role model for Shirou if he still kept his ideals as a hero of justice. But, Shirou still respected her for being the living embodiment of his dream, that it's never wrong to help others.

"Oh my, then it's a good thing I got something for you." Mrs. Troy let out her good natured laugh before going inside her shop. After a minute of waiting, she came back out while bringing out a large container of… crabs?

"It's the season of crabs again. One of our suppliers seem to have caught a big batch of them during one of their fishing trips. I've heard these crabs are really good if you cook them correctly." Mrs. Troy add suggestively. Shirou took a moment before understanding what she's implying.

"I'll be sure to leave some for you ma'am." Shirou said.

"What a nice boy you are. Here, since you're planning to offer me your cooking, I'm going to return the favor with a discount." she offered.

"Is it really ok? I could just use the food budget to pay the full price." Shirou worries that if he pays the discount price, he would be taking advantage of her.

"It's fine, I didn't survive in the street long enough without having another source of income. Tell Mia that she need to loosen up more, can't have her scaring away new customers while they were being indecisive with their order." the old women slightly chucked in memories.

"Hai, I'll be sure to let her know. Could I expect this container to be at the Hostess of Fertility by five?" Shirou asked. After four hours of wandering through the streets, meeting new people and helping some along the way. Shirou have had enough sightseeing for today.

"Sure, sure. now go on, spend your time in your youth. You can't just mope around like an adult. Ah look, there seems to be a problem there. Try to look into it for me Shirou. " Mrs. Troy seem to be interested in this problem in particular. Shirou, having no reason to say no, walked up to the stand where there seemed to be two people arguing about… Jagamaru?

"Like I said Miss, I can't sell you more Jagamaru." The young man said exasperatedly, his face is already nearing its breaking point.

"Why is that?" The blonde lady asked, her voice sounded so innocent that you can't even detect a single bit of hostility behind it. Her face tilted slightly that signify the confusion she felt while her golden eyes never left the merchandise.

"What seems to be a problem here?" Shirou decided that it's time to step in. The young man and the women turned their gaze toward him, surprise filled their eyes. Yet, both of them for different reasons. The young man's eyes filled with hope, while the woman's eyes seem to be filled with… shock.

'_Strange, I should probably ask later.' _Shirou shelved the thought in the back of his mind, his focus already on dealing with this issue.

"Ah, young man. You see here, this young lady is buying my Jagamaru. Now, this may be fine if she bought one or two pieces," The man sighed. "This is already the tenth piece she ate. Now I can't do that you know. I just started this stand and I need to attract some loyal customers. I can't do that if she's going to bought all my product."

"But...I'm buying it." the women still have a confused look on her face.

"I think what he meant is that he needs more customers to boost his sales. Try to picture it like this, what do you feel when the Jagamaru stand that you like has suddenly been swiped clean by someone. Do you feel okay with that?" Shirou said, garnering a terrified look from the young women. Shirou is honestly confused by this, her face looks like he had killed her beloved one in cold blood. After a moment of silence, the woman has a metaphorical light bulb on top of her head as she finally understood it.

"Ahh...so that's what you mean." The lady then turn toward the young man and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry for this."

"It's fine, just keep that in mind next time." The young man chuckled good naturedly, it seemed the tension had already disappeared.

_or so it seems._

A loud growl could be heard from somewhere. The young man is honestly confused from it, but Shirou knew this sound well. The sound that remind him of a hungry tiger and lion. Both men turn their gaze toward the source.

"Oh," said the blonde women. "It seems I'm still hungry."

"Hah, I knew it." Shirou exhaled his pent up hair. Shirou's already beginning to see a connection between a blonde and food. "Well then miss, what do you want to eat?"

"Jagamaru." no hesitation from her voice.

Shirou thought for a moment. He could take over the stand and serve it for her, but it would entirely defeat the purpose of doing it. Shirou look and touch the jagamaru displayed on the stand. Using his structural analysis, the ingredients and the process of making it all displayed right in front of his eyes. Seeing the availability of those materials, Shirou could probably made it by himself.

"Yosh, how about you come with me back to The Hostess of Fertility, I could create some Jagamaru for you." As Shirou said that, the blonde woman's eyes brightened. After bidding farewell to the young man, both of them walked back toward the pub.

"By the way, sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Shirou, Emiya Shirou." Shirou said, lending his hand out for a handshake.

"Aiz, you can call me Aiz." The young lady replied. a small hesitation appear before she took his hand.

* * *

The Hostess of Fertility is unusually quiet when Shirou and Aiz arrive. Since it is still four in the afternoon, the pub won't be open for customers until five. With the spare keys he got from Mama Mia, both of them went into the kitchen.

"It's fine if you wait outside Aiz, this shouldn't take long." Shirou said, he doesn't know how to deal with her innocence.

"It's ok… I just want to see you cook... is it wrong?" Aiz replies, although the last part seemed to hurt Shirou more than it should have.

"Huh, well, it's not wrong." Shirou decide to not bother further. His hand is already moving to preparing the material.

Jagamaru. From what Shirou could glance with his magecraft, the composition to make a Jagamaru is similar to that of a croquettes back home. Since Shirou's much more comfortable making a croquettes, he hoped that Aiz would not notice the difference. With that out of the way and the ingredients ready, Shirou started to work.

First, the eight potatoes that Shirou managed to scrounge up from the bag must be peeled. Using the knife in the kitchen, Shirou expertly sliced the skin off, revealing the ivory color within it. After peeling the skin, he move on to cutting the potatoes into smaller pieces and soak them with water to get rid of it's starchiness.

While the potatoes are soaked with water, Shirou started to dice the onions. These onions will serve him later when he's ready to cook the fillings. Once the onion is diced, Shirou refocuses his attention on the potatoes. With the starchiness gone, the potatoes looks like it's in pristine condition. The next step is to boil the potatoes in water in order to turn it into a mush. The potatoes must be immersed with the boiling water about 3 cm above them.

With the potatoes soaked, Shirou began to make the content of the croquettes. Using a frying pan, he poured a tablespoon of oil into it. After a minute of sizzling, Shirou then dumped in his diced onion. The onion was then spread around the pan before Shirou added the diced meat he found in the storage. He remembered to sprinkle salt and pepper on the dish to bring out the flavors inside of it.

With the content being almost ready, Shirou stopped soaking the potatoes and began to beat it into a mush. The mashed potatoes will later be joined by the ingredients in the pan.

Throughout the entire process, Aiz's eyes never once left Shirou's hands. _'Those hands...' _She thought, the discolored duo moved in a way where there's no wasted movement in them. Everything looks like it's under control for Shirou. When all of the ingredients mix into the pan, the wave of scent reminds Aiz from being at one of the parties held by Annapurna Familia. The gods and adventurers there get to have first class dishes served to them, yet some of those dishes didn't have the same level of scent as Shirou's cooking. But, the one thing that's been bothering Aiz isn't the scent, it's the familiar feeling she got when she first saw Shirou. _'It's gone now.'_ Aiz thought. Was it just a hallucination from drinking too much? or is it covered up by something else? Aiz decided to stop thinking about it and instead continue to revel in the scent.

Oblivious to Aiz's thoughts, Shirou mixed the contents within the pan until it successfully merged together. Turning off the fire, Shirou poured them into the potatoes bowl and proceed to mix them together. The filings and potatoes when mixed together managed to cool down its temperature low enough for Shirou to shape it into a croquettes. With the eight potatoes gathered, Shirou managed to make seven Croquettes from his batch. Now all that is left to do is fry it.

With the seven croquettes, Shirou then individually coated them with egg yolk, flower, and bread crumbs. _'It is a lifesaver that this world has bread crumbs.'_ Shirou thought silently, who knew what would happen if he couldn't make jaganmaru for Aiz. A frightening tiger seemed to follow him everywhere he went nowadays. While he need to store this away in the refrigerator, Shirou took extra care coating the Croquettes so they will just stick with the filings.

A new pan was brought out, he set the fire from the stove to high as he poured the cooking oil in it. Shirou waited for a few minutes before placing the croquettes into the boiling oil. The sizzling and scent from it seemed to only entice Aiz further, her eyes already that of a hungry beast in front of their prey. After five minutes, Shirou used his handmade chopsticks to pick out the croquettes individually from the pan and let the oil flow out of it before placing it in a box.

"Shirou...can I have one?" Aiz asked, her face still remained stoic except for a slight drool that escaped the corner of her mouth. Shirou looked at her for a moment before letting out a chuckle.

"Sure, sure, it's yours anyway. Who do you think I'll make it for?" Shirou chuckled even more when a small tint of red graced her cheeks from embarrassment.

"Then if you'll excuse me." Aiz picked one of the croquettes. Its scent played with her nose, enticing her to eat it. When she went for her first bite, her mouth burst with flavors that she knew all too well. A Jaganmaru, but not quite like one. It's simply better than it by a large margin. Even some of the Annapurna Familia food couldn't hold a candle toward Shirou's cooking.

Shirou looked at the scene before his eyes with nostalgia. The time he spent with Saber for however brief it was, remained one of his best memories. Even though Saber is not here anymore, she's still in his heart as his first love.

"Is it good?" Shirou asked, worried that his food caused Aiz to stay silent in a negative way.

"It's good." Aiz replied simply. Yet, the small smile on her face once she finished her croquettes brought a genuine smile to Shirou's face. It reminded Shirou on why he continues practicing his cooking in the first place. While survival is the top reason, the sight of people enjoying his food is enough for Shirou to feel satisfied.

"Well then, I want to ask you something. Back at that Jaganmarukun stand, you looked at me in surprise. In my memories, I don't think I've met you before." Shirou asked off-handedly, he didn't want to pressure Aiz from his question.

"Ahh… I was there when Mama Mia brought you here. You look badly hurt, so, Riveria followed Mia to heal you." Aiz answered, seemingly unaffected by Shirou's question. Funnily enough, she already finished her second Jaganmaru by the time she replied to Shirou.

'_So Riveria is the elf that healed me.' _Shirou will make a note to thank her later. When he looked back at Aiz, a sudden idea passed him. "Could you save some for your friend please, I would like to give her the Jaganmaru as a thank you gift from me. Could you do that?"

Aiz pouted for a moment. On one hand, this jaganmaru is hers alone. On the other hand, it's a request from the person making it. After a moment of deliberating, Aiz finally relented. "Ok, I will do that."

"Thank you." Shirou said. Looking at the clock which displayed the short hand hitting five, Shirou believing this is already a good time for preparing foods for tonight. "I guess you better get going. Who knows what your friend would think if you reach your home late." With the box wrapped up, he handed it to Aiz.

Aiz nodded her head while holding the box. Shirou decided to walk her out of the pub, before she passed the front door, Aiz turned her body so she could speak to Shirou.

"Thanks for the food." Aiz said, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Please come again if you want some more." Shirou replied, he could already tell that he'll be regretting his words in the future. With that, Aiz went with the current of the roads as she walked back home. After making sure Aiz walked safely, Shirou turn back toward the dining room, ready to work his job as a chef. What Shirou failed to notice is a strange silhouette that perk on top of a building, it gaze land briefly at Shirou's back before disappearing like a wind.

* * *

***Omake***

Riveria could be seen writing on a scroll inside her room. She'd finally gathered enough courage to send out a letter to her grandfather. She also knew that her grandfather will no doubt pester her regarding her status as a princess and a noble in the Elven kingdom. Before she could write however, a small knock came from her door, followed by Aiz walking through it.

"Hello Aiz, It's rare for you to come to my office." Riveria was secretly glad that Aiz come toward her. The later she wrote this letter, the happier she will become.

"Hm, Shirou wanted me to share this with you." Aiz said, handing her a jagamaru. Riveria instantly knew this is different from Aiz's usual Jaganmaru, it's too perfect in its shape. It's perfectly elongated and the scent of it tingles on her elven nose.

"Ahh, thanks Aiz." With the jaganmaru in her hand, Riveria took a bite out of it. What followed next was a taste on par with the food she used to eat back at her kingdom. The work of the most experienced chef back home seem to match or even outclass by Shirou's cooking, It is an entire new experience for Riveria.

"Who is this Shirou anyway?" Riveria asked, already halfway through her Jagamaru.

"It's the man you healed almost a week ago." Aiz replies, her hand already has a half eaten croquettes.

"Well then, I suppose this counts as a thank you gift. Say Aiz, can you give me some more of his Jagamaru." With that, Riveria's already unofficially joined the growing cult of people that adore Shirou's cooking.

"No."

"No?" Riveria is perplexed by this.

"You can only have one." Aiz said back. She slowly walked back toward the door. Her eyes remained vigilant to Riveria standing posture.

"Now now Aiz, remember what I told you. Sharing is caring, now would you please share your Jagamaru?" By now, Riveria was already in the process of insta-casting an agility boost.

Aiz pondered for a moment before saying her thoughts.

"No."

With that, the sight of a running Aiz with Riveria on her tails filled the halls inside the Loki Familia household.

**Omake end***

* * *

**AN : Ahhhh….ahhhh… I use ahh way to much in this story. It's just that when I picture the conversation in my head, it's always started with Ah or something like that. Idk but it just is. **

**Sorry of the chapter being quite rushed. I got a general plot in mind while making this but being the pantser I am, the Story got sidetracked and derailed into a giant pit of flame with only the wheel just kept going.**

**Also, sorry for the late update. Now hear me out before going all Salem Witch trial on me. What I'd like you guys to know is that I Acquired 3 New Beta readers for this FF. dun dun dun dun dun dudundunnnn (Get item).**

**Here are your Beta readers everyone. **

**Fierynitemare**

**freakyHadeschild**

**Yajirushi Fosaku**

**As a writer, I can't thank them enough to process the shitshow of a chapter into something worth reading. Honestly they've been doing a pretty good job beta-ing my story. So give them some love and thanks everybody. This is also the reason the chapter came out late, they've been busy working on something.**

***Drumroll***

**Beta-ing the last 3 chapters. Now you guys could go back and read them again and not gouch your eyeballs out. Seriously, give them a thanks in the review. prologue 1 and 2 should be out in a couple moments after chapter 4 is released. Prologue 3 is still in the middle of beta-ing, so you guys have to wait a little for it.**

**Btw, hope you like the omake. This is something I rewarded myself for working hard these past few days and reaching 500 Follows.**

**So, Review and constructive criticism is welcomed. I do not own Danmachi and Fate. Yadda Yadda Yadda, I'm totally not schnitzel from chowder. I'll see you all in the next chapter.**

**Peace.**

**(Now onto the review)**

**To all of the people that wants me to get a Beta: Well, Here you go. The result should be noticeable right? I want to thank all of you for opening a door toward this FF so it can be better and pleasant for me and you guys.**

**Lorgron and people asking about Shirou 18 circuits : **_Not necessary, it's more for being true to canon in Fate than being a mechanic inside this story. DW, I'll figure something out._

**Rhongomyniad: **_True, She even willing to forsake a grail if the other option is the all granting food dispenser._

**Egads/ Guest : **_Think of it as some kind of mixture between Emiya gohan and Fate itself. 50% will just be a slice of life, the other 50% will be the progression of the story._

**Finzdagger : **_Nice way of putting it :)_

**enigma95 : **_like i said, Still undecided, but I'm more leaning towards a harem xD_

**ultima-owner : **_Ikr, if you put that mechanic into real life, all the cooks of the world and the plates company will be out of jobs._

**Paxloria: **_Dude/girl, idk. I've been following you cuz you have a huge library of fics lol. so seeing you here kinda surprise me. Well, this chapter kinda give you that. mind you, Shirou here is just getting serious before Mia called it off, so she may not see the steel eyes lol. The mantra and aria thing should be fix by now._

**Hero of Justice Roxas : **_Well then, you just open a can of ideas haven't you. Shirou is a very complex character. While he did say he isn't going to become a hero of justice anymore, helping people is simply a part of him. but now, he won't just go out of his way to help someone. I think of it as being slightly more nicer human being._

_Magecraft, as far as I research it, is using the mana in your surrounding and sucking it through your circuits to create the mysteries. More than that and it will spoil the later chapters, but you'll get the idea._

_Well then, to be honest, when i first make this story, i don't have Bell as a main focus. He's kinda like a pseudo main character that appear once in a while according to canon. Who knows, it's all up to future me to figure it out._

_Familia, as stated on this chapter, Shirou will not join any familia as of right now. another thing is that I'm not a big sucker towards fics that stick their MC wayyy too close to canon. I want a sense of originality in this, so I'm really not betting on it being Hestia._

**Matt/Guest: **_Now that's a tough one. Who knows, maybe i use Isthar from FGO for the model, or i just use the danmachi version._

**Guest : **_Lol, when I write that Kischur scene, i just want to make him as a cameo or sort. But I do kinda agree that he's not a whole lot much of a troll. I mean, he defeated a cosmic being, show him the respect he deserves. _

_Characterization is something that I'll focus on in this story, simply because I cringe at some fics where it's just too OOC for me to enjoy. Now if people are reading this from the future, i may come as a hypocrite for this. so no hard feelings._

_for my writing sense, i will try to improve on it, no promises though. don't worry, any observation is fine since it point out my flaws. So good job._

**Peace.**


	5. Chapter 2 : Onsen and Noodles

_**Bathhouses**_

This is a place similar to the Onsens Shirou sometimes visit back in Japan. A place that serves to help low to mid-level adventurers cleanse the blood, sweat, and tears they accumulate while traversing the dungeon. While it mainly caters towards Adventurers, many civilians also use this place as their retreat.

Shirou, covered in a black liquid, walks through the busy street in Orario with a defeated look on his face. The fluid slowly drips down toward his pants and leaves a black trail as he walks. Shirou could only lament on his bad luck. Today seems to be nothing but misfortune.

(Flashback)

Shirou was at his wit's end. The bottle that Shirou used to ferment his creation was emitting a violent reaction inside. All that Shirou wanted from this was a working soy sauce. From what Shirou could remember from one of his field trips, a soy sauce comprised of steamed soybeans and roasted wheat. They were then mixed in a mold for fermentation. However, since this was Orario, there were, unfortunately, no soybeans available in the market.

However, Shirou knew that a possible replacement for this was a Lunarbean. From his structural analysis, Shirou found trace elements were similar to a soybean. With these ingredients, he could finally make it.

'_Now, maybe I should've checked how all of this would react together.' _Shirou thought to himself as he looked toward the chaotic vase. Inside the intense reaction, the mixture of wheat and lunar beans were reacting as they should have. The color was slowly turning black and Shirou could smell something similar to soy sauce. Yet, it would have been all for naught if the vase containing it exploded.

Shirou acted quickly when he heard a cracking sound from the jar, applying reinforcement onto the glass to strengthen it so it didn't explode into tiny pieces. What Shirou didn't expect was that the force that had been trying to escape through the crack rushed towards the only open space there was. Since both of his hands were holding the bottle to apply reinforcement, Shirou face was sadly directly in front of the open space.

BOOM*

An explosion was heard from the kitchen, eliciting shock and surprise to the pub's inhabitants. The staff that were currently there rushed towards the kitchen with the expectation of a fire. However, what they saw immediately caused them to burst into laughter.

Shirou, in all of his glory, had his face and upper body covered in a black substance with his hand holding a soot-covered vase. Judging by the trail of smoke coming out from it, it was easy to guess the cause of this.

"Pfft… HAHAHAHAHA, What the hell happened here Shirou!?" Anya cried out, her voice sounding hoarse from the amount of laughing she let out.

"Haha," Lunoire chuckled, "I have to agree with Anya. From what I can see here, you could have been trying to create an explosive or something like that." The nekojin and human dissolved into another round of laughter, much to Shirou's growing ire.

"...I would rather not explain it." Shirou said as he put down the smoking jug down onto the counter. When he checked the content, he was pleased to find it in a liquid black state. The fluid let out no traces of transparency as if it ate up the light that came in contact with it. A little sniffing with his nose told him all he needed to call it a successful experimentation.

"Ara, are you okay Shirou?" Syr asked, showing concern after she had her fun. "Would you like a towel to clean yourself?"

"That would be appreciated," Shirou said.

"Now what seems to be going on here?" A voice called out from the doorway, causing the waitresses to straighten their backs. As they turned around, the sight of Mama Mia's eyes as she surveyed the area frightened them a bit. Those eyes finally landed on Shirou.

"Oh my, you look like you just came out victorious after fighting a Howler. Those monsters have a penchant of carrying black blood." Mia chuckled at her own joke.

"It is nothing as grandeur like that, I simply wanted to recreate something I've experienced somewhere in my past."

"Heh, if the thing you're creating is an explosive, then you did a mighty fine of a job doing it." Anya chimed in, earning a high five from her comedic duo.

"...you guys are not going to let this one go, are you?" Shirou sighed in resignation, this scene reminded him of a certain tiger and her persistence.

"Nope." both said in perfect sync.

"As I thought." Shirou gave up.

" Well, " Mia cleared her throat, " It looks like everything is fine. Shirou, take some time to clean this kitchen to the state it was before. Also, clean yourself from whatever it is inside that jar." Mia grunted, a slight jazz hand toward his direction to prove a point.

"Alright." Shirou nodded.

"Ok. Come on girls, let's leave Shirou here to clean the mess up." Mia announced, followed by a collective nod from the present waitresses.

"Well then, I'll see you later Shirou."

"Hope you don't create another explosion."

Shirou rustled his hair, he already knew that Lunoire and Anya were going to tease him a lot in the future. Before Shirou could start cleaning the kitchen, a towel was plopped down on his head. The culprit seemed to enjoy her own brand of teasing.

"Here you go Shirou, a clean towel." Syr said.

"Thank you, Syr." Shirou responded with a smile.

"Don't thank me yet, you still haven't washed down the rest of the stains." she said, as the obsidian liquid flowed down Shirou's shirt sluggishly.

"You don't have to remind me…" Shirou exhaled. This was his last piece of clothing before laundry day, he couldn't afford to walk around in a state like this.

"Here, let me recommend a place for you." Syr then started to inform Shirou of a bathhouse situated near the dungeon. The God in charge of it could help clean your clothes and let people bath there for a named price. Shirou, saw this as an opportunity, and quickly grabbed it.

(Flashback end)

Shirou looks at the building right in front of him. You could say that it looks more like a western temple than the onsen he's familiar with; Giant pillars stood proudly as it supported the front roof, large engraving could be seen on the overhead and the wall, and beautiful sculptures depicting various women with unnatural beauty. A large number of people were coming and going with smiles on their faces. It really is quite a welcoming sight.

Yet, what is underneath it is a place where the law of the jungle is applied to the employee. The god that's running the onsen is quite an interesting individual. The goddess Sulis is known by her kindness and warm-hearted nature. She would always praise someone if they are performing well on their job. It also noted that an increase in salary was awarded to them. Because of that, many of the Sulis familia members began calling out and asking if customers want to go into their station. While the outcome is above average, it still doesn't equate to the price they charge you. Most customers tend to ignore them, but Shirou is unfortunately in the center of it.

"Welcome to the Orario bathhouse. What would you like to choose from our selected plan?" an attendant walks up to Shirou. His face flashed a corporate smile that is present on all salesmen.

"Uhh, I just was-"

"Would you like a complimentary back massage for only 5,000 valis?" a female employee asked.

"No no, what he needs is a nice beauty cream. Get it now for only 8,000 valis, even goddess Freya use our special cream!" a clerk shouted.

"You guys are all wrong, what he needs is a customary Sulis penchant. So, what do you think young man, you can get under the kind eyes of Sulis by only paying 15,000 valis for this statue." An old man smiles greedily at Shirou.

Shirou is starting to feel lightheaded. The constant shouting from the familia members are already getting under his nerves. It's a good thing that someone stepped in before Shirou go way past his tipping point.

"Alright guys, I think you've done enough. Can't you see this young man is a little tired from his day?" A voice rang out as two men walk up from the crowd. One of them has dark blue hair that's flown to his shoulder. His attire looks like one of the priest from back home. The other guy looks similar to Shirou; his long raven hair is tied with strings weirdly to give him a loop on both sides of his face, his attire is that of a Shinto priest couple with it sandals. Overall, it gives Shirou a familiar feeling to Japan.

"Ah, I-I'm sorry for this lord Miach, Lord Takemikazuchi." the familia members slowly back off while muttering their apologies. While they were minor gods in Orario, Sulis always taught them to treat the gods with respect.

'_Takemikazuchi?' _Shirou thought, Mia's explanation about the gods here played back in his mind. From her description, he's not a God that would be considered to be avoided. Yet, why does his name sound familiar?

"Thank you for your help." Shirou said his thanks, giving a nod to his savior.

"Maa, maa, it wouldn't sit right for us if we left a newcomer alone to fight with the sharks." Miach said, earning a nod from Takemikazuchi.

"Well then, since we're obviously the seniors here in this bathhouse, you could ask us anything you want to know about this place and we be sure to answer them." the raven-haired god puffed his chest with confidence to prove his point.

"Haha," Shirou nervously smile, "All I want to do is to clean myself while using this place to rinse my clothes."

"Ohh what a coincidence, " Miach said, his eyes slightly widened, " Me and Take here were going to do the same thing. If you would like, you could join us."

"Then I'll be in your care, Kami-sama." Shirou replied with gratitude, it's nice to see some gods that pretty down to earth.

"Yosh, come now young man, let me show you the beauty of this onsen." Takemikazuchi laughs as he drags Shirou and Miach to one of the corridors.

* * *

"So, young man, you must be new around here right?" Takemikazuchi asked, his body is currently in his birthday suit except for the waist. It's an unspoken rule within the male bathhouse to always wear a towel around their waist. Whoever failed to abide by this rule will be kicked out of the onsen and be labeled as a pervert.

"Yes, I've been living in this city for about a week now." Shirou replies, _'although I was asleep for about half of them'_

"ehh," Miach drawls out, " I heard that housing here is becoming more and more difficult as of lately. Young people are starting to consider being an adventurer more purely so they could have a roof over their head. it's certainly is a disheartening sight." the mood suddenly turn sour for a moment.

""Maa, Maa, let's not speak of that serious matter currently." Takemikazuchi reassures them.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. By the way, young man. During this entire conversation, I've never heard of your name." the Celtic god realized.

"Oh, did I forgot to tell you guys? Hmm, if so, my name is Shirou, Emiya Shirou." Shirou finally introduced himself to the two gods. For some reason, the Japanese god looks at him strangely.

"Hmm, do you perchance originate from the far east?" Miach asked. The name order and syllables sound similar to Takemikazuchi own familia.

"Haha.." Shirou awkwardly smiles, "Well, it's somewhere around that area."Shirou doesn't know where the far east is, but if they have the same features as him, maybe he could apply it as his backstory.

"Oh, so that's why your name sounds familiar." Takemikazuchi pomp a fist into his palm, he looks like he just figured something out. "Ahh, this reminds me of the time one of my familia members found a baby orphan…"

With that, the mood transitioned into a lightweight one. Meaningless talk was exchanged between them; days, weather, people, until one particular conversation pops up.

"Say Shirou, why is it that you always wear a red cloth on your left arm." Takemikazuchi asked, his eyes are hovering over the object of his questions.

"Ehh, I would rather we move away from this subject." Shirou tried to shift the conversation away from it, but the god seems adamant about it. A feeling of headache arise at the thought of it. Miach seems to notice his discomfort but was to late to stop Takemikazuchi from going deeper."

"Cmon, we got all day, it could serve as a good discussion for us." Takemikazuchi reassures Shirou.

"Please, for the sake of it, don't broach the subject further." Shirou is trying his best to kept his emotions in check.

_The scalding pain from Berserker attack._

_The misery of feeling a thousand swords cut through his left shoulder._

_The cry he let out as Archer memories rush toward his mind._

his eyes dilated rapidly as the headache seems to worsen; His covered left arm shook slightly from the phantom pain before it was stopped by his right hand, his breathing became labored as Shirou tried to take in as much oxygen as he needs. It took a few seconds to control himself properly, yet the damage is already done.

Miach looks at his fellow god with a disappointed look, he should have known not to be privy about other peoples' past. Takemikazuchi, feeling like he had stepped on a landmine, bowed his head towards Shirou.

"I'm sorry… Shirou, I didn't know that my question was insensitive and cause pain towards you. I know what I did was inexcusable, but please accept my apologies." Takemikazuchi is currently in a dogeza position, attracting some attention from other patrons. Shirou quickly acts before this scene goes way out of hand.

"It's fine, it happened a long time ago so I've already come to terms with it. Please raise your head." Shirou said as he offers a considerate smile. Seeing the genuine guilt from the god, Shirou couldn't stay angry towards him.

"If it is your wish." The Japanese god went to his usual spot. While they continue to exchange conversation, Takemikazuchi seems to tread more carefully around the discussion, hoping not to activate another landmine.

Shirou did gain quite a lot of information during the discussion. Miach and Takemikazuchi seem to be a dungeon explorer familia, their woes in terms of logistics and training shed light on the circumstances for Adventurers. It's quite depressing to know that both gods belonged to one of the lesser familias in Orario. their life living quite frugally since their income couldn't match with the Loki or Freya familia's wealth.

"I think we should be done by now." Takemikazuchi said as he starts to rise from his spot, basking in the warm air with his body. Of course, a white towel is wrapped around his waist.

"Yeah, damn, my back is a little stiff from this." a small audible crack could be heard when Miach bends his body. Shirou looks at the gods right in front of him. They are certainly different compared to the gods in legends, almost as if they appear to be… human.

"Say, do you guys have any plans tonight?" Shirou asks out of the blue. With the amount of help Shirou got from the two gods, he feels he should repay them somewhat. A simple meal could go a long way into helping someone in the future.

"Hmm, I don't think I have. How about you Miach?" The Japanese God looks at his friend.

"Hmm, Naaza should be done with her dungeon quest right at this moment. Maybe we could spare some time." Miach announced, " So what's with the occasion Shirou?"

"I was wondering if you could drop by in the Hostess of Fertility tonight. I'm currently trying to create a new dish and would like to use this chance to repay you." Shirou spoke, instantly turning confused by the look of shock by both of the gods right in front of him.

"Don't tell me….." Miach said, tremor filled his words.

"Shirou ...how long you've been a chef there?" Takemikazuchi asked with slight trepidation.

"Hmm… about three days?" Shirou answered, clueless to the question.

"no way…"

"You're the rumored…" Takemikazuchi responds as well. Both of them look at each other before thought flash through both of their minds.

'_THE RUMOURED CHEF OF THE HOSTESS OF FERTILITY?!'_ Both of them shouted in their mind.

"uhh...Kami-sama?" Shirou was somewhat taken aback by this. He didn't know why both of the gods are having their own talk. their back hunched together as they whispering to each other ear as if a concoction of a plan is in the making.

"I didn't expect our newly found friend is the famous chef himself!" Takemikazuchi whispers quietly.

"I'm the same as you.." Miach replied back. From what he gathered during his talk with customers, there's been an ongoing rumor that The Hostess of Fertility has acquired a legendary chef. When his first dish was presented just four days ago, there was a separate menu created just to show his food. While the price was quite expensive, many people who tasted his food would say it was worth it.

Takemikazuchi slowly turns back toward Shirou, a guilty look appear on his face.

"Is it fine for us to take your offer? We wouldn't want to bother you that much." The Japanese god still held some regret due to his careless mistake.

Fortunately, Shirou have long since forgiven him. "Don't worry. Like i said, It's already in the past. This is just me repaying for your kindness."

"If you say so, then it's good enough." Miach let out a sigh in relief.

"Yosh," Takemikazuchi seems to regain his spirit. "Then is it fine if both of us come around 7 pm tonight?" Takemikazuchi inquired, his mind already making plans for this special occasion.

"That would be all right."

"Good, well, I'll see you later than young man" and so, each respective individual set forth on their life, each with a promise to keep.

* * *

A growling sound was heard permeating through a certain street. It was loud enough to cause a small vibration on the woman's body. Aiz looks down at her stomach, a few strand of long golden hair swayed briefly in the wind as she put one hand on her stomach. For some reason, her quest to feed her hunger is acting up now. Looking around, the sight is quite calming to see; stalls closing, shops slowly turning off their lights, pedestrians walking towards their destination as the sunset looms over them.

It's too bad that none of this could help her calm her rumbling stomach. Seeing that there is no Jagamarukun stand within her vision, a stray thought concerning Shirou passed by her mind. Yet, she quickly dismissed it. Aiz didn't want to bother Shirou too much with her request considering she did that yesterday. So, she decide to just put up with it until she got home.

_But, maybe she doesn't have to._

"Oh yaa, Aiz, what a coincidence to see you here." a voice snapped her out of her musing. The voice seems to belonged to a man that has a familiar accent. Turning her body around, her eyes first landed on an Auburn hair with a tint of white.

"Oh... Shirou." Aiz said simply, her eyes slightly widening with recognition. Standing before is Shirou in his regular outfit. His arms are currently filled with groceries containing a variety of meat and vegetables. A welcoming smile seems to cement itself on his face.

"Haven't seen you since yesterday, how's your day been going?" Shirou inquired. Aiz feels strangely calm while talking to Shirou. It's just the way he talks that make you feel… welcome. There's no feeling of admiration nor fear from his voice. The way Shirou talks feels like he's talking to a... friend.

"It's been fine." Aiz simply replied. She began to control her pace so that she's walking beside Shirou.

"That's good then. Say, did your friend like my thank you gift? I hope it was enough to satisfy her." It would be a shame if the gift ended up in a disaster.

Aiz nodded, what she didn't tell Shirou is the number of hours she had to spend hearing Riveria lecture her just because she didn't share after the first piece.

'_It was supposed to be mine…'_

"That's good then." Shirou smiles contentedly from her answer. It's a little shame that he did not see her reaction to it. When Shirou looked back at Aiz, he saw her turning her head from left to right… almost as if she's looking for something.

"Are you looking for something?" Judging by the slight flinch from her, Shirou guesses he hit the mark.

"No...it's not—" a loud grumble once again emerges from Aiz's stomach, causing her to have a small tint of red on her cheek. Aiz looks at her stomach for a moment before turning her eyes toward Shirou, who currently doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. Shirou, being the gentleman he is, couldn't let a lady right in front of him to walk home starved. Taiga would certainly beat him mercilessly with her Tora Shinai if she heard about this.

"I guess it can't be helped. Come with me to the restaurant, I'll make some Jagamaru for you." Shirou said as he rustles his hair. But, a small smile on his face indicates that he isn't irritated about this.

Aiz, hearing that she could taste his Jagamaru again, brightens up her face. The scene was so similar to yesterday that Shirou had a sense of Deja vu. With that scene finished, Aiz followed Shirou to the Hostess of Fertility for the second time in a row.

* * *

Anya exhales the breath she's been holding as she finally finishes cleaning the dining room. The room right now is as clean as a baby's bottom with no speck of dust as far as she can see; Tables are arranged in an orderly manner, with chairs accompanying them in a four-way position. Even the counter chairs are separated in a consistent manner.

"How did Shirou even manage to do all of this so easily?" Anya complained. Shirou have some serious skill in term of housework. his laundry and cooking skills are nothing to scoff at. With his kind demeanor, he would make an ideal househusband.

Shirou is a kind man. Which, by its own right, is a very confusing individual. Orario isn't all sunshine and rainbows like many tend to believe. What people see in their everyday life is just the surface of it. Thieves and corrupt adventurers wander the streets at night, shady organizations in the hundreds rule the underworld of the city itself. It's quite fortunate that Mia gained quite the notoriety during her time as an Adventurer, not many shops have that kind of protection. To survive in Orario, you need to do two of these things.

_**1st, Join a Familia.**_

_**2nd, Join a gang.**_

_**3rd, Be strong enough to survive**_ _**on your own..**_

Most people choose the first one since it's the most beneficial and the easiest of the paths. While those who choose the second and third must toughen themselves or else they could get killed.

'_Don't help people unless you want something from them.'_

The unspoken rule within the underworld. A word that everybody lived by… Except for Shirou.

The kindness he emits is similar to Syr Flova. The way they help people within their view with the kind smile on their face, it's a breath of fresh air in the otherwise somewhat dark world. Yet, it does make Anya wonder,

'_If Shirou has been as kind as he is, then how did he get those injuries in the first place?'_ her head slowly droops as she began to relax on a table.

When she heard a voice coming from the door, she almost looks up to see their face. however, the sound of familiar footsteps reminds her of who's coming.

"Oh, Anya. did you finish cleaning the dining room?" the voice that sound like Shirou confirms her suspicion. She began to relax and slowly drift to sleep.

"Yeah ... It's been a tiring day. Could you not make any large sounds while I'm taking a nap?"

"Sure, sure. I'm just going to the kitchen to cook something for Aiz." Shirou replied, his footsteps gradually disappear alongside… Another footstep?

"Is it fine for me to come inside?" a young, soft voice called out.

"It's fine, as they say, hunger is the enemy right?" Shirou responded, seemingly confident with his own expression.

Anya stirred awake from her sleep, her hazy eyes slowly lock on to a long yellow hair that flows through an exposed back. The slender figure coupled with the name instantly wakes Anya up.

'_Don't tell me…'_ Once she manages to refocus her eyes, she became clear on who it is that walk in.

' _IT'S THE SWORD PRINCESS._' Anya screams internally; A level 5 adventurer, capable of soloing a boss, the record holder for being the fastest level up, is acting casually with the resident kind man.

"_Shirou…..Shirou….SHIROU!"_ Try as she might in getting Shirou's attention through a whispering scream, both of them manage to ignore or turn a deaf ear towards it as they walk right into the kitchen.

Anya is now at a loss, she didn't even know how Shirou manages to befriend THE sword princess only after four days of being here. There should be a medal to give him for this achievement. Aiz Wallenstein is one of the hardest people to get along with, mostly because of her quiet nature. The only place that's been said where she can be comfortable in is her own familia. Seeing Shirou manage to break through that shell of her's is certainly a very commendable achievement.

After ten minutes of recollecting her thoughts, a sound of cutting enter her cat ears, it seems that it is coming from the kitchen. Anya, being a nekojin, possesses an innate skill that lets her walk without making any sound. The skill is really useful to get around mobs or doing stealth missions. Using said skill, she silently walks towards the kitchen door. The sound of sizzling halt her in her tracks.

'_What is this… Onion?'_ Anya pondered, it's so enticing to inhale and it makes her mouth all watery. The scent danced around her nose like a warm breeze, beautiful to feel yet not there at the same time. The sound of sizzling continues with intensity, snapping Anya from her stupor to continue on with her mission. Nudging the door open slightly, the scene right before her eyes are certainly mesmerizing.

Shirou, with his focus onto his cooking, is currently talking with the famed sword princess. His hands were shuffling around the pan in such a way that it's simply fascinating to look at. He began to add some meat toward the pan, enhancing the smell that once again attracted her nose. It took a good five minutes before the meat and onion mixture was poured down into a bowl.

Using his hand, Shirou then started mixing around contents in a bowl before pulling out some of it. The way his hand molded it, looked like he's making a… Jagamaru?

Anya rubs her eyes, Shirou is cooking Aiz Wallenstein a Jagamarukun that you could find anywhere in the street. Those Jagamaru that Shirou molded from the bowl looks similar to them. Yet, something within the depths of Anya's mind whispers to her that it's not.

Aiz looks at the Jagamaru before saying something to Shirou, causing him to chuckle at her. He progresses by giving some sort of lecture towards her while molding the last of the batch.

Anya silently closes the door and walks back toward her previous spot. Her mind is already being overloaded with the prospect of Shirou being friends with Aiz Wallenstein. A good nap is what is needed right now, so she did just that. After about ten minutes of peace. Shirou emerged from the door with a troubled look. He eyed the bag with a little downcast expressions.

"I still think you shouldn't have to pay me this much."

Aiz shook her head," It doesn't sit well for me to eat for free."

Slight turbulence of emotion crosses Shirou's face. He seems to be having a hard time processing it. It took a good minute before Shirou rustled his hair in resignation.

"Alright then." He sighs as he accepts the payment.

A nod from Aiz shows her confirmation towards it. With the bag of money stowed away in his belt pouch, he bid Aiz goodbye as she walks out of the pub. After the silhouette of the Sword Princess couldn't be seen, Shirou turns his gaze toward the resident Cat person.

"I know you were watching us." Shirou announced suddenly.

"Nya!?" Anya let out a yelp, " Hehe, looks like I've been caught."

"You could be stealthier if you know that the kitchen door caused the wood near the stove to creak from it."

"Geh?! How should I know that?!" Anya cries out. Her face was in shock that Shirou managed to find something she doesn't know about this restaurant.

"You don't... But now you do." Shirou let out a chuckle as Anya starts to berate Shirou for teasing her.

After letting her release her pent up emotion, Shirou have a request for her. "By the way, I'll be expecting people around 7 today, would you kindly led them to the counter table for me?"

"Sure, but how should I know which one is it?"

"You'll know." Shirou smile cryptically.

* * *

"Miach-sama, is it really okay for us to spend money at this time?" Naaza asked her God. Her chienthrope ears perk up while awaiting an answer. They were in a financially difficult situation, mostly because of her troublesome God and his way of handing out potions for free. Her familia is already getting tired of his act so it's up to her to fix Miach's behavior.

"Don't worry Naaza, a new friend of mine invite me and Take to dine here. It would be inappropriate if I didn't take the offer." Naaza silently clenches her first. Miach's words although true has lead him into some scam that swindles him out of his money multiple times. She lost count of the numerous occasions she scolds her God for it, but he just seems to ignore it.

"Even if you say that…" Naaza mumbled. Despite her remark, she remains faithfully behind Miach as they walked toward their meetup.

The Hostess of Fertility, a place where adventurers eat and drink their fill after a long day in the dungeon. It's also a place where a growing rumor is currently building up; A legendary chef that create a dish that could satisfy a god, a mysterious person that has a heart of gold, a kind man that serves food with a smile on his face. No one has seen him before prior to his debut as a chef. It created lots of conspiracy surrounding it, but one thing about it, the food is just that good. Unfortunately, her familia is poor currently so they didn't have enough money to taste his cooking. To hear that Miach manage to befriend him is certainly a red flag on it's own.

When they saw the entrance toward the restaurant, they were greeted with the sight of Takemikazuchi and one of his own familia members. Her hair looks as black as her own God. she dresses like a woman from the far east, a short yukata that's being held together by a red cloth wrap around her. You could even call her face to be beautiful, but the eyebrows are certainly… unique. Her size, however…

'_She must be kept from Miach-Sama.' _Naaza already labels the girl right in front of her as a potential troublemaker.

"Yo, Take, did you bring one of your own familia as well?" Miach calls his friend, prompting the two mention people to turn their gaze toward him.

"Hehe, when dealing with the legendary chef himself, it would be a shame if I didn't bring another person to enjoy the food." the Japanese God laughed.

"That's great. come on, let's go in." Miach announced, earning the nods of each respective person. While they were in the process of going into the restaurant, Naaza stops herself when the Japanese women turn to face her.

"My name Yamato Mikoto, It's a pleasure to meet you." Mikoto states with passion laced in every word.

"Naaza Erisuis." the Chienthrope replied simply, contrasting Mikoto jovial introduction.

When they entered the pub, they were greeted by a nekojin. Her cheery smile and waitress dress invoking a welcoming feeling to them.

"Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility. My name is Anya, how could I be of service to you?" the now named Anya asked the group.

"We were told to come here by a man known as Shirou Emiya." Takemikazuchi told her, causing a slight widening from her eyes.

"Oh my, you must be the reservation Shirou is talking about. Come here, let me show you your seat." With that, both the group and the waitress navigated through the dining room before a four-chair seat is spotted near the back of the room. The side is close toward the counter and provides a panoramic view of the dining room itself.

"Would you please wait here for a moment while I contact Shirou." the nekojin announces to them.

"With pleasure." Miach replies.

As soon as the waitress went inside the door, the gods and their respective familia members took the liberty to pick their seats. Through some difficulty, the seating arrangement goes from Naaza, Miach,Takemikazuchi, and Mikoto. As their gods were chatting between themselves, there's been an awkward feeling between both familia members. Both of them just met with each other and they don't know what to say to start a conversation. Luckily, they didn't have to.

The backdoor opened up, revealing a young man with an Auburn hair with a tint of white on it. His face looks somewhat handsome with his golden grayish eyes. The green shirt he's wearing is covered by a messy apron. He looked around for a moment before his eyes landed on the two gods, a look of recognition appearing from his expression.

"Lord Miach, Takemikazuchi-sama, thanks for taking the time to come here." Shirou calls out from the counter, both gods seem to be happy seeing him.

"Yo Shirou, you know we can't just pass the chance to dine on your food after hearing about the rumors," Takemikazuchi says genially.

Shirou awkwardly smiles at his words, "I don't think my food seems to be getting that much attention."

"Well, you've been quite the talk of the city as of lately." Miach supplied information, " A legendary chef that could even make gods covet it like a treasure."

"Please give me a break…" Shirou drawled out. He's never going to get used to the exaggeration of rumors.

"Oh, I almost forgot about this. Mikoto, would you please introduce yourself to Shirou." the person in question stood up abruptly and proceed to thrust her hand toward Shirou's direction.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, My name is Yamato Mikoto from the Takemikazuchi familia. I hope we could get along in the coming future."

"I've heard you loud and clear. Could you please lower your voice down a notch, I don't want it to annoy the other customers." Shirou kindly gives her some advice.

Mikoto seems to realize her action and turn slightly red from embarrassment. "I- I'll be sure to keep it in check." Her seat let out a small creak as she let her body fall back down, causing her cheeks to grow shades of red.

"Haha, " Miach laughs a little at the scene, " I think it's about time you introduced yourself Naaza." hearing her God word, she let out a small sigh before turning her gaze toward Shirou.

"My name is Naaza Erisuis." Naaza said the same thing she did to Mikoto. Her eyes seem widely disinterested with the whole ordeal. Yet, her eyes sometimes stare toward Shirou, a judging look to determine whether he's friend or foe.

Miach let out a small cough, "Don't mind her too much, she's just wary about new people." Miach said, purposefully ignoring the pointed looked from his own familia member.

"Well then, what seems to be the occasion Shirou?" Takemikazuchi decides to change the conversation.

"I've successfully created something a while ago and I want to use this chance to repay you guys." Shirou offers his deal which causes some surprising look from to the recipient.

"Oh, I'd suppose a god shouldn't be picky about their offering." Miach shares his wisdom that surprise Naaza.

"I'm a little astonished about this. When did Miach-sama finally grow a brain inside his head?" Her words cut deep and manage to stab the celtic god with it.

"Naaza… I didn't know you hold me so low in regards." Miach squeaked out.

"Oh my, I'd never said that Miach-sama. All I did was commending you for being smart for once." A fake shock covered her face, signifying her sarcasm.

"Guh.." Miach got stabbed by those words two more times causing him a K.O

Shirou stifled a laugh at the scene, " Well, I'll leave both of you to yourselves. your meal should be done by now so I hope I could get reliable feedback from you guys." Like that, Shirou went back into the kitchen.

"So, what do you think about him?" Takemikazuchi asks.

"I think he's a kind and respectful person." Mikoto answers. She seems more confused by her answer than her question.

"I thought you would get it. Shirou is kind, that by definition already makes him one of the rarest people in this city." The Japanese God explain to Mikoto. During the time Mikoto is processing his word, Takemikazuchi continues to talk.

"As a God, I'm not blinded by the sheer colorfulness of this city. There are many problems here, some of which are going fester up into something larger if left unattended. Yet, we as gods failed to do anything about them simply because we're all too caught up on our amusement. That's why we left Tenkai after all, we just grew bored from our omnipotent power. A place where something interesting happens every day, who wouldn't want to join in on the fun?" a self-deprecating laugh escapes his mouth.

"The rule of thumb in this city is that kindness will not always be repaid with kindness, that's the reality of the world we live in, something we all come to accept in our lives. Yet, all of that could change, when a small spark shows the world how much a single act of goodwill can help someone in the long run. And I think our answer is that man." Takemikazuchi finishes his speech.

"I…" Mikoto is at a loss here. While she knows the circumstances in the city, she didn't know how much of an impact Shirou made to her God.

After five minutes have passed, the backdoor opened, revealing Shirou with four plates stacked separately on his arms. The smell coming from it attract the gods and their familia members respectively. What seems to be on the plate is fried noodles and chicken. The brownish color help contrast with the seasoning and the vegetables that were put on there.

"Here you go, I hope this will satisfy your stomach." Shirou said. He began to pass around the plates onto his customer table.

"... How much do we have to pay for this?" Naaza surprisingly asked, her own head is already counting down what meager amount of money they have to pay for this food. All of this seems too good to be true.

"Ah, no, no. I'll give you a discount for this since this is an experimental dish anyway." Shirou reassures Naaza, correctly figuring out what Naaza was thinking.

"That's a relief." The Chienthrope exhaled her pent up air. It's certainly nice to have a kind person serving them food. Yet, she still kept her guard up against the chef. The thought of him being just a scammer still sat on her mind.

"Come on, we can worry about this stuff later. Let's eat." So, all four people took their first bite. Both of the familia members are instantly blown away by the food itself. The sweetness of the chicken paired so well with the saltiness of the noodles. The vegetables and seasoning only seem to push the aroma further. It is undoubtedly the best dish they have ever eaten.

The gods, however, are more reserved in their reaction. A slightly widening of eyes are the only indicators of what they thought of the dish. The food here is certainly commendable from a mortal dish, but they have tasted better food during their time in Tenkai. Those heavenly dishes are so good that even when a thousand years have passed, the gods still couldn't get over those taste. But, it's still a big achievement to cause a reaction from them.

"I say Shirou, while you're food is not the best that we have ever tasted, it's still managed to satisfy me and possibly Take himself. So take pride in that achievement young man." Miach praises Shirou, earning a nod from Takemikazuchi.

"I have the same opinion Shirou. strive harder for the betterment of your cooking and one day it could even amaze the gods themselves." Takemikazuchi added.

"I'll try harder to meet your expectations." Shirou accepts the praise. During his time working here, Shirou came to take pride in his cooking, something he has never done so, even when he started using a kitchen at ten.

Mikoto and Naaza silently flinch from their god's remarks. If they were simply captured by this piece of food that their gods doesn't even react much too, then what would the food back at Tenkai taste like.

After about 15 minutes of eating, the group finally finished with their food. the plate looks sparkling clean as no trace of stain was sighted.

"Ahh, that was a good meal." Takemikazuchi remark.

"Hai, Kami-sama." Mikoto replied to her god.

"Do you like the food here Naaza?" Miach asks his familia member.

"It's good." Naaza nodded her head, feeling a slight shame from her instincts taking over.

"Alright," Shirou appears from the kitchen door, "Here are your checks guys, I hope you all have a wonderful evening." When they check the total amount they have to pay, all of them were at a loss for words.

"4,000 valis? For all of the food?" That means that each person only has to spend 1,000 valis to pay for their meal. it's certainly too low of a price.

"Why…?" Naaza asked the question that the rest doesn't have the courage to ask. _'It must be a fake' _she thought to herself. Everyone in this city only has their own interest first before others, including herself. The life she been living here could attest to that claim. Yet… this chef… The man she suspected of committing a scam to them, so readily to put himself in a disadvantageous position.

"Well, " Shirou scratches his head. "I've heard that you guys have been through some financial trouble lately. Since I'd invite you guys into this restaurant to do here, I will feel bad if I charge you more than this." Shirou scratches his head as he announced his decision.

"Shirou…" Miach widens his eyes, "Is this real…?"

"Umm, I don't know what constitutes as real for you but it's as real for me." Shirou somewhat confused by the Irish God's question.

"Thank you… Shirou. Your kindness will not be misplaced." Miach said, his eyes show a certain degree of gratitude on them. He did a thankless job of providing potions towards low-level adventurer. Even when it puts his familia in danger in term of financial, it still feels great to know that you increase the chance of living for a certain person to come back home. To receive the same level of kindness after a long time feels… welcoming.

Naaza start to feel a slight shame at herself, her prejudice toward Shirou is now misplaced. Although she felt gratitude toward Shirou, she doesn't want her god to use this opportunity to give away more potion.

"SHIROU!" Unfortunately, the Japanese God is way intense in his show of gratitude. A dogeza right in front of multiple strangers in a pub is a bit... Shameless. It would take a couple of minutes to finally pull Takemikazuchi out of his dogeza, but it's certainly quite a scene to end it here.

* * *

Omake*

"Lord Takemikazuchi, I brought the ingredients you mentioned." Mikoto called out to her god in their kitchen as her hands were filled with bags of ingredients.

The Japanese God appeared right from the corner of the kitchen and quickly took the ingredients from Mikoto's hand, "Nice work."

"Sir, if you will excuse me, what is it that you're planning to make?" Mikoto asked, instructing her to buy Lunarbeans and roasted wheat out of the blue is certainly suspicious.

"Well, when I asked Shirou what kind of sauce he used, he said that he created them himself. So, I want to try creating it with my own abilities."

"Oh, that's quite ambitious of you."

"Shush, I need full concentration to create this." Takemikazuchi began making said sauce. he seems pretty fine doing it on his own.

"Alright, I'll leave you on your own device." Mikoto said as she takes her leave.

(20 minutes later)

"Takemikazuchi-sama, how's the progress been go—" her words were cut off when her sight landed on the swirling jar of madness. The Japanese God is already trying his best to fix this situation.

"Mikoto, you're here. Quick, help me fix this damn thing!"

"Ri-right away Kami-sama." Both of them start trying to do everything; add more wheat, Lunarbeans, even water. none of which seem to be working. what is fortunate however is that the color of the liquid is slowly turning back, which what Shirou said is slowly starting to create the sauce.

Yet, the joy was short lived as the glass began to crack.

"Kami-sama, did Shirou ever mention about this…"

"I don't think he did…"

And all was black.

Meanwhile, Shirou is in the middle of meditating when a stray thought past his mind.

"_Did I warn them about the explosion? I'm sure they'll be fine. I don't think their luck is that bad."_ So, Shirou began to returning into his meditative state, unaware of the explosions happening in the in the Takemikazuchi familia.

* * *

**AN 2 : Since I can't contact my usual Beta readers, I ask my friend LOLZ1337 for help covering for them.**

**AN : Alright, I finally finished with this chapter. tbh, there's some struggling with my motivation to continue writing this story. But, I always pump myself up by telling myself of the scene i want to write. FGO been a real punch in a gut for me. **_**All that SQ wasted and i still haven't got the servant i wanted T_T**_

**so, with the whole feedback on people commenting that the suicide stance is just a big pile of bullshit. It's mostly within Mia train of thought so it's at most an educated guess from her. This does not mean that Archer fighting style is suicidal, it's just perceived as it is.**

**Alright, i finished my rant here. Well same old same old. Review and constructive criticism is welcome, I don't own Fate nor Danmachi. Now, onto the review.**

**WolfGodmaster**: Yes Yes, i just see that it's unnecessary for me to do that. I'll try to fix it.

**Mnorsyafig92** : Well he does specialize in cooking. for your second review, that part is only a joke. Don't take it too seriously. It's an omake for a reason.

**Daniel T Gualnam** : Don't worry, I'm not planning of doing that.

**Guest who said Shirou is weak** : Shirou is by no definition is weak here. Did i write him taking injuries from the spar. Nooo, it's just him fighting someone on a level of a servant. he got a little rough up, but Mia call it off before things get real. So it's mostly just Shirou doesn't have a time to shine yet.

**Nagisa Tr**: Avalon is somewhat a cheat item, but it's not going to be the main focus of the story.

**Robocoaster**: Lol, maybe that could happen in the future. who knows, just wait to find out. Also, thank you for clarifying the suicidal sword fight, it is appreciated.

**Rayish** : Nah, I'm just gonna poke some people but not all of them. that's just cruel.

**Lorgron** : That's what make it suicidal. Archer leave holes into his defense and use his eyes of them to effectively predict when it's going to land. he then use that to counter attack. its basically and antithesis to those who were used to fight someone with no holes in their defense.

**enigma95**: There's a thing called youtube and i can't cook for shit. i just look up how to make croquettes and boom, instant instruction.

**Paxloria**: Oof, now I feel kinda bad for my wording. what I meant to say is your follow and likes stories since they hold some interesting fics for me to read. sorry if that was a misunderstanding.

**PatricksLegardo**: Oof, thanks for pointing out my mistake. English is quite hard for me so sometimes i confused words.

**Kazenoeiyuu**: not in a while anytime soon.

**alienvx0** : Thanks man. Grammarly really help me write this chapter. give yourself a pat in the back.

**tH1s**: Yeah, i just realize that while i'm writing the prologue end. i could just skip this entire thing and just start with Shirou in the Hostess of Fertility but I'm too deep to get out anymore.

**monkiepawn**: well, I planned to keep it that way.

**Dungeon master** : Dang, you must have hate Gabriel blessing a lot from your review. I've taken in your review into consideration and see if I think it's plausible for the story.

**With that out of the way, see you in the next chapter.**

**Peace.**


	6. Chapter 3 : Knowledge and Thief

_**Meditation**_

The art of calming one's soul while making peace with your inner self. This technique focuses on letting your own consciousness enter a relaxed state and letting your body rest. Your brain, which once operates at full capacity in maintaining the body, can spare some of that energy in recollecting lost memories. In this case, Archer's memories.

Shirou is currently sitting cross-legged on his bed with his head bowed, his stature is completely still except for a small rise and fall from his chest. Both of his arms appear to be grasping his kneecaps without any force behind it. His room is luckily on the third floor, high enough to not be bothered by the noise down in the street. Shirou's faces twitched slightly as he tried his best to not overload his mind with Archer's memories.

Archer's arm could be described with two words: Treasure troves. For every blade that was shown from the memories, Shirou gained a weapon he could use against his opponents. Their history, techniques, even the process of manufacture, all of them stored inside Shirou. With the amount of time Shirou had to spend reviewing the Heroic spirit's past, the chef has close to twenty low rank noble phantasms that he could trace for himself. Yet, there's always a reason as to why he couldn't stay in this state for too long.

_**I ** t*e bo** of ** s**rd**_

'_Not this again…' _

A headache suddenly started to assault Shirou's mind, booting him out of his meditation state. That phrase seems to keep resurfacing from Archer's mind like it's calling for something. It sounds like it's English, but it resonates within his soul. However, Shirou is still a long way from unlocking all of Archer's experience.

"I guess this is it for today."

Shirou opened his eyes, he decided to dwell on the thought later. Stretching his body, letting some joints crack from inactivity, Shirou moved on to the last inspection of the morning.

Taking a deep breath, Shirou starts working on his magic circuits. Like before, a single green line emits from his right arm. The mana in the air follows the vacuum of the circuits, filling the inside of it with mystery. The temperature within his body is steadily rising, yet the rate starts to grow exponentially.

"Trace on"

His magic circuits seem to be adapting slowly to this world's abundance of mana. As of right now, Shirou could only let it be active for about a minute before the pain becomes unbearable, which is still quite an improvement from the 10 seconds when he starts his training. However, all of this monumental achievement happened when he was standing still. Since most fights are mobile, Shirou could only match them using reinforcement and pre traced weapons.

Switching off his circuits, Shirou let his body rest for a good minute before leaving his bed. While Shirou went through some stretching, he look at the calendar stationed on his desk. These past 4 days have proven quite eventful for him; becoming a chef in a pub, getting new clothes, helping out Aiz, and serving food toward two gods. Taiga would certainly lose her mind if she happens to learn about this. Looking at today's date, it's surprising to see it empty. Right now, it should be a good time to visit the Grand Library of Orario.

Shirou searches his own memory for a second. From some of his interactions with the Hostess of Fertility's patrons. The library has stood strong in Orario for close to 800 years. It is a place where knowledge from the past is stored, so the future generations could learn from it. It also houses a complete set of theories left behind by other spell casters regarding the usage of magic.

The magus hopes that the books could shed some light into his current predicament. His circuits are starting to become worn out by the constant pain. So, with his belt bag filled with money, Shirou set out his journey towards the Grand Orario Library.

But, before that, Shirou needs to start his morning training.

* * *

The Grand Library of Orario

A giant library that houses records and books that dated back to the time when the first God was sighted. It's housed close to 10,000 books and a lot more in the records section. With its massive collection, there's a need for someone to guard and maintain the library. Luckily, a god and their familia were willing to take up the mantle.

The god Thoth is currently managing this Library with his familia. Those who devoted to becoming a scholar join his familia to seek a more profound understanding within the world. The only requirement for them to join is to take care of the library once in a while. With such a lax obligation, many philosophers walk into Orario for this chance. With their love for knowledge, almost all the facilities in the library are being kept in pristine condition, something a green-haired elf is grateful of.

Riviera could honestly feel herself relaxing in this position; her hair gently resting on her shoulders, her hand lounging in comfort on the old book, the cushioned chair that is comfortable to sit on, even the sunlight from the glass dome above is just at the right intensity to feel warm in its presence. After working the paperwork and logistics for their next expedition, this is what she needed to rest her mind.

It's just slightly tragic that she has to be here with a bunch of new recruits. Since Loki familia is a large one, it naturally falls to one of the older members to teach them the ropes. It just so happens that it's her day to teach them… joy.

"Uhh, Riveria-sama, are you sure that this place is really suited for them? I got the feeling that they won't take this opportunity seriously." Lefiya said while walking towards her, her calm countenance looks like its almost reaching its breaking point.

"Tell them that after this, we will be heading towards the dungeon. Those who couldn't manage to kill fifty goblins will have to run five laps around the city wall. That should serve as a good motivation for them."

"Geh.." Lefiya flinched, she distinctly remembered the first time she joined the familia. "That's a bit harsh, don't you think?"

"Nonsense, if they manage to even read, much less understand the book, they should have no problem in killing that amount. Now if you would please relay that message to them, that would be excellent." Riveria immediately shot down Lefiya's words.

"Hai!" the orange-haired elf squeaked out before running back toward the recruits table.

It's certainly a sad thing that most rookie adventurers didn't go towards the library once in their life. Instructions from old/retired adventurers about the dungeon monsters are a very powerful tool. The accounts of beasts within each floor, the weaknesses of them, even the best way on how to kill them while preserving the magic stone. Yet, they seem to just ignore an olive branch when they need one.

"Muscle headed, the lot of them." Riveria sighed. At least she doesn't have to lecture them individually about it, she doesn't know if she has the patience to watch them repeat the same rookie mistakes with all her work piled up.

'_Enough of this,'_ the high elf thought, _'This should be a moment to relax.'_ so she did. Her eyes returning to the old tome in front of her. This book appears to be a fairy tale written by one of the villages that long since vanished from this world. A party of adventurers managed to find the old book in a worn-out temple of the destroyed village, a story about a distant place that the Faes reside after their disappearance.

'_An everdistant utopia huh?'_ It sounds too far-fetched to be real. Yet, every fairy tale comes from a source of inspiration. Riveria hopes to find a clue for the source of this tome. However, the progress so far has been minimal. Every book she read, in every section so far seemed to yield little information to the thing that she seeks. Riveria continues to read the book until a sight caught her eyes.

Shirou, the boy that she saved from the brink of death, the person that caused the faes to act weirdly, appeared from the entrance of the Library. What used to be a torn outfit is now replaced with much more pleasing clothing. The haggard look that once occupied his face turned into a calm demeanor. Still, it's quite amusing to see his eyes widen at the sight of the sheer scale of the building.

The boy turns around in circles as to look around at his surroundings before his sight landed on a place. Shirou's legs start moving forward as he found the destination he seeks, which happens to be the magic theory division of the Library.

Being a magic caster herself, Riveria is well versed with the magic sector. This section houses all of the past and present philosophers theories behind magic. It's right up her area of expertise.

The boy walks toward the giant shelf. When he reaches it, Shirou starts to skim through the titles of the books on the shelf as if he was looking for something. Since his figure starts to disappear behind the shelves, and finding it as none of her business, Riveria refocuses her eyes towards the tome. She should have time to ask him about the Fae's reaction later.

It wasn't until ten minutes later did Shirou reappear again from the distance, his hands filled with basic magic theories for beginners; Chants, magic slots, mana conversion, etc. Since the table she currently resides is closer to him, it's natural that he would go toward the closest.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I use this seat?" He directed his free finger to one of the empty space right across from her, Shirou's face was covered with mountains of books in front of his face.

"No, I don't mind." Riveria simply replied.

"Then if you would excuse me." Shirou plops down the books to the table side before opening up the top book. his look turns into one with deep concentration.

'_How to use magic for beginners…'_ Riveria thought, the boy right in front of her seems to be a beginner mage. Her conclusion seems sounded when a look of confusion appears on Shirou's faces not even a minute after reading the book.

After 30 minutes, Shirou still has that look of confusion on his face. As of now, he already went through almost all of the books he has collected. Those books which are supposed to be easy to understand seem to only stump him further. It honestly grates a bit of her nerve that someone couldn't comprehend something so simple. When he sighs in lamentation, Riveria decides to step in.

* * *

Shirou exhales a breath. These books just didn't seem to answer his questions. All of what he could assume from it is that you need to channel the mana from the air into your Aria. Yet, when Shirou did just that, his magic circuits just start to overload quickly.

Maybe the only chance he could get if he just brute force the pain. But that would damage his circuits severely in the long run. While Shirou was in deep thoughts, a voice broke him out of his trance.

"What seems to be troubling you boy?" a woman's voice was heard. It sounds like someone, someone he knew very well.

"Uh!?" Shirou looks startled at the source, his eyes look around before landing to green-haired elf right in front of him. After spending some time in the Hostess of Fertility, Shirou is already immune to the knowledge of Phantasmal species still walking on earth. "Oh, sorry about that. I didn't think you would ask me a question."

"Boy, you look like you are deciphering the Fae's language when it's supposed to be a basic book." Riveria declared, her eyes told Shirou that she wasn't fooling around. She sound like Saber when she was lecturing him for joining a fight recklessly.

"Haha," Shirou nervously chuckle, "I would like to apologize if I manage to offend you, it's just that I can't seem to understand how do mages here channel Mana into magic."

The elf woman let out a sigh at his answer. "Shouldn't the book said to cite the Aria to invoke your spell?"

"Well, I know that much, but my predicament limits me from using it effectively." Shirou scratches his head as he confesses.

"Ohh, then show me how you use your magic then." The elf close the book she's been reading and focus her eyes toward him.

"Is it fine if I did it here?" Shirou asked with uncertainty, this is a library after all.

"As long as you didn't burn or destroy the library, they are willing to turn a blind eye." Riveria assure Shirou about it.

"Alright then."

Shirou close his eyes, his mind is cleared from any troubles before activating his magic circuits.

_Trace On_

Shirou kept in mind to only activate 1 of his 27 magic circuits so as to not overload him too quickly. The singular circuits does its work, sucking in the Mana in the air and storing it for Shirou's thaumaturgy. The process is still painful for Shirou, but he has already gotten used to it. After 30 seconds, Riveria has finished her observation.

"Alright, I seen enough." Riveria said, her voice carried a note of finality in its tone.

Shirou shut off the circuits, the stored up mana inside it immediately dispersed back to the surrounding area. Looking towards the elf, it appears she's in a deep thought.

"Let me ask you a question, Is this your first time activating a spell?" She asked suddenly.

"Well no. I've been doing the same thing for a considerable amount of time." Shirou replied, confused by the question.

"Tell me, did you live in a place that has little abundance of mana?" The elf seems to be onto something.

"...yes." Shirou confirmed her guess. he's slightly surprised that she manages to speculate that.

"I think I may know the solution to solve your problem."

"Oh, that's great." Shirou's mood went up a lot by her words.

"But first, you need to know the issue of your situation. From what I can sense, you're sucking in the mana in the air to power up your spell, correct?" She held out her finger to emphasize her point.

"Yes."

"There lies the problem, " She started her speech, "You create a suction within your body to draw the mana in. Like you said yourself, the place that you previously lived in hasn't got the same level of density in terms of Mana. Spellcasters or mages channel the mana in the air to use their spells, That's where the difference comes into play.

As you can tell, the mana in Orario is very thick. So thick that you are literally swimming in it while you are walking. Since mana is a constant presence to the mages here, all they need to do is to let the magic energy flow through them. Their bodies act as a pipe, letting that mana flow through them on their own volition. What you are currently doing is like someone who has lived on bread for his entire life, tried meat for the first time. Their stomach simply can't handle the new prospect of the food.

Your problem works the same way. Since you lived your life in a place where Mana isn't as excessive as Orario. Your body has accommodated for it by sucking in the mana to compensate for the lack of them from normal method. While it's fine in your area, that method quickly becomes a one-way ticket to commit Ignis Fatuus on yourself." Riveria finished her lecture, she seems to be a little winded over her own lecture.

Shirou widens his eyes at this information. He should've realized this sooner. The method he's been using the entire time relies on the fact that Mana is a finite resource. His magic circuits adapt to it by using suction to compensate for the lack of it. To hear that you could just let the Mana flow through your magic circuits instead of absorbing it from the air is certainly staggering.

"I see… then if I change my approach into letting the mana flow through me, the process should be much easier?" Shirou asked hopefully.

"That's the theory, although there are many variables that could contribute to it. Would you care if you stay around for a while? I wouldn't like to leave something half done while I am already on it." Riveria is what you would call a perfectionist. No matter what task she's been handed, she will always strive to achieve the best possible result. That's why she could be considered the Loki familia's captain adjutant.

Shirou smiled at the prospect of learning his condition more. "Well, it certainly beats having to wrap my brain around a book. My name is Shirou, Shirou Emiya." He reaches out his hand.

Strangely, the elf right in front of him didn't take it. But, she did return his greetings." Riveria Ljos Alf, a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

"_Unfortunately, there are some matters that I have to attend to. If you would like, we could continue our conversation the next day." Shirou swore he saw a look of disappointment flash from her face. It seems whatever the orange-haired elf said set her mood down._

"_That's fine, I have some free time tomorrow." Shirou said, he didn't want to take more of Riveria's time._

"_Then, meet me on the abandoned district when the clock strike twelve in daytime. I be waiting there." So, she left with a bunch of people in the direction toward the dungeon._

Shirou couldn't help himself but smiles contentedly as he walks through the busy street. His meeting two hours ago with Riveria prove to be highly beneficial for him. Shirou finally know the reason behind his magic circuits. Looking around, the ratio of people is more leaning toward the Civilians rather than adventurers. The wave of sunlight warms Shirou from the cold air billowing on him. He keeps his distance between each passerby to not bother them if he manages to bump into them. It is for that reason that Shirou notices a kid bump beside him.

The young kid looks small in nature, his height only manages to reach Shirou's abdomen. His head was covered with a dusty ivy cap that managed to shroud his face. His attire is in a state similar to his hat; brown baggy shirts and darker pants that looks no different from a stereotypical thief. If Shirou didn't make sure to keep his distance, he wouldn't have seen a quick swipe on his belt bag.

He gotta hand it to him. The kid is experienced enough to cut his bag out from his belt without damaging the goods itself. He uses the bump as a way to direct my focus from the feeling of losing weight on Shirou side. Just like that, the whole interaction took five seconds before the kid just disappears into the streets, away with Shirou's money. Unfortunately for the kid, Shirou''s keen eyes manage to catch the tail of him. With the purpose of getting his money back, Shirou began following the kid through the maze of the streets in Orario.

After 5 minutes of trailing, The kid finally enters the Daedalus street. A name that is similar to the legend of the Daedalus maze. From what Mia told Shirou about this street, a person could entirely get lost in the nooks and cranny of it. It certainly a nightmare for people who walk this road for the first time, but, the kid is walking with confidence.

Shirou, afraid to lose sight of the kid, decides to reinforce his legs and arms before climbing up on a building. The bleeding effect of Archer's arm onto Shirou's body managed to help him effortlessly accomplish it. On the rooftop, Shirou executes some free running while never taking his eyes off from the boy figure. With reinforcement, Shirou doesn't need to care about dispersing some inertia after a long jump.

This chase would go on for another 2 minutes before the scenery changed for the worse. What used to be a compact housing method slowly faded away to show a scene of destruction; Pillars spiraling out of control, destroyed temples that once could house people by the hundreds, even the stone roads are unkempt. Overall, this looks no different than an aftermath of hell.

_**The hell that he left behind.**_

A headache started assaulting Shirou's brain, causing him to almost fall to the street below. Memories from his march through the sea of flames are trying to resurface. It is only through Shirou's willpower that those memories are repelled back. Shaking his head, Shirou quickly sprints to catch up to the fading silhouette of the boy.

The kid slows down his speed after his reaching his destination. Shirou, only a couple of meters right behind him, hid behind one of the rubble before focusing his eyes onto the building. The outlook of the building reminded Shirou of the Fuyuki church, albeit a smaller and more damaged version of it. The front door doesn't seem to even hinge properly. Nonetheless, the kid doesn't seem to be bothered by it as he pushes the door open and walks inside.

It looks like Shirou couldn't infiltrate into this place without alerting the kid through the normal method. Fortunately, Shirou has the perfect solution for this. Shirou let out a deep breath, his magic circuits activating in order to cast a projection. What is different from the previous approach is the slight lack of violent drawbacks due to overloading it. There's still some suction occur from the circuits, but some of the mana in the air flows through the circuits naturally as it invokes a mystery into this world.

"Trace on"

Carnwennan, a dagger that Shirou managed to glimpse from one of his dream cycles with Arturia. A dagger said to have mystical properties that shrouded the user into shadows. While the dagger's ability is degraded due to the fact that only so much information can be gained through sight alone, it still offers Shirou the ability to be ignored to those who don't actively search for his presence.

Evoking the mystery within the dagger, Shirou's body started to emit black smoke that quickly surround his body. He could feel himself fading into the background, and with that, Shirou starts sneaking into the abandoned Church.

Since going through the door will possibly sprout an alarm, Shirou decides to try sneaking in through a window. If he could, Shirou would honestly laugh at his current situation. A chef, survivor of the holy grail war, victorious in battles against heroes, had to degrade himself into sneaking around an abandoned church just to take his money back.

After a quick look around, there seems to be a glaring hole on the rooftop. Seeing no other way around, Shirou prepares himself by reinforcing his legs. After a small runway, Shirou runs towards the wall of the building.

The art of wall running is actually quite simple. You build up the momentum by running towards the wall. When you just at the right spot, a jump was made to lead out your dominant leg. That leg will serve as a push toward the top while also work to redirect the momentum upward. You will then use your hand to grab onto the ledge to pull yourself up.

Shirou starts to plot his course, his eyes harden while visualizing the best way to reach the roof. After ten seconds, Shirou began to sprint. Using speed on par with Olympic athletes, Shirou crosses the length of five-meter in a matter of seconds. After about a meter before the wall, Shirou leaped out from the ground while extending out his right leg. His right foot manages to find a small crack for his footings, the footing that Shirou needed to propel himself upward. With the momentum gained from the run and the ledge push, it's more than enough to reach the rooftop. A quick tug from the ledge and Shirou already positioned himself on the church top. Seeing the inside of the church, Shirou grimaces a little from the sight.

A trashed room filled with debris and dust, broken pews laid sporadically on tiled floor. The stage floor was caved in several parts while the sermon stand is bisected in half. The only good thing that is left undamaged is the stained glass right behind the stand. The glow of the sunset seems to reflect just right to give off a welcoming glow. Shirou could lose himself in staring at the stained glass, yet, he's still got work to do.

Jumping down, Shirou makes sure to land on his feet to avoid causing more sound. The impact from the landing manages to create a small dust explosion. It's really starting to grind Shirou's nerve that such place remains unattended in cleaning.

However, dust proves to be a useful thing. The kid didn't seem to know that the dust on the ground manages to create a footstep trail for Shirou to follow. Reinforcing his eyes, Shirou followed the path until it reaches a wall. It may seem like a dead-end, but a minuscule size gap separates the wall from the makeshift door. Shirou could hear a faint sound of laughter from inside the door which strengthened the idea that the kid walked through here. Pushing it gently, Shirou walks down the spiral stair, unaware of what's to come.

* * *

**BUMP**

"That's hurt!, why did you have to do that?" A boy cried out, his head has a visible bump after being hit by the woman in front of him.

"You brat, what did I tell you about stealing money from people again." said woman looks irritated by the stubborn nature. Her short black hair ruffles slightly as she sat down on the couch.

Her mouth let out a small yelp due to her injuries. Her sleeves on the one-piece dress did little to hide the bandages that covered half of her body. Her waist, chest, and some parts of her arms and legs are wrapped with bandages. Even her neck is bandaged, although a slight scar could be seen from it. The slight bag under her eyes become more apparent as she continues to stare at the boy in front of her.

"But we need all the money we could get sis!" The boy seems to be adamant about his action. The guy that he had stolen from had quite the hefty sum of valis on him.

"Michael C. Macbeth," The boy flinched, he knew something was wrong when she uses his full name. "Orario is a dangerous place, you must never forget about that. Thieves and corrupt adventurers roam the street, searching for unsuspecting prey. You may be thinking that this… duty of yours will bring us more money, but it's just too risky."

The woman caresses the maroon hair of the boy with her lips tugging a sad smile, "I can't hold the fort down due to my injuries, who can I rely on to protect your two little sisters?"

As if Fate is on her side, two little heads pop out from one of the rooms. One of them has hair as white as snow, another one is as dark as the night sky. Both of their faces brighten when Michael entered their sight.

"Onii-chan!"

"Big brother!"

Both called out a distinct name, but it held the same meaning. Their cries of joy echoed as they jumped into their older brother's embrace. Michael is overwhelmed but not surprised by their reactions. He chuckled before ruffling both of their hair.

"Haha, I'm home, Jack, Liz." His words manage to calm them down for their excitement. Jack, the shirt white-haired girl, looked at her brother with a hopeful golden eyes.

"Onii-chan! Did you get paid from your job?"

"Of course!" Michael lied smoothly, "Your older brother is a hard worker you know. The boss is generous to give me this amount of money. You know what that means right?" His question cause Liz to raise her hand up. Her bashful yet confident appearance draw his attention.

"We could eat meat?" She squeaks out her voice, but it was enough to be heard by everyone.

"You bet it is." Michael flashed his smiling face. Both Jack and Liz look at each other before they hug their older brother once more.

"Nee, nee, Sera-san." Liz asked her older sister, " Is it true that all four of us will be having meat today?"

"I don't know Liz, it looks like Michael is going to treat us to something special. Why don't you guys go freshen up a bit, we don't want the place to be too dark by the time we get there."

"Yes! It's meat day." Both sang in unison, hugging each other as they laughed in joy.

While the little sisters are busy celebrating, the older sister walks up behind Michael. a complicated expression as she watches her little sisters.

"While I don't mind if you wove a lie for both of them. Sooner or later, you will have to tell them the truth."

"I'll deal with it when the time comes sis," Michael reassure her, " For now, let them have their childhood, they shouldn't have to go through what we did."

Both of them have the cheerfulness of being a kid, completely naive to the outside world. Laughing like there are no worries.

Without him noticing, his lips curved into a smile. Something Sera definitely picked up.

"I just hope it won't backfire." She relents, adopting her own smile as well.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoes from the stairs, alerting all the occupants inside the basement. While Jack and Liz couldn't understand it, Michael and Sera both knew the possibility of someone walking down those stairs are close to nil except for them. Sera slowly get up from the couch, a determined look taking over her once smile face.

"Jack, Liz, could you come closer to me?" She beckon them softly.

"Hai!" Both of them trotted toward her side, casting a confused glance toward each other.

'Good.' Sera thought, now she them easier if something happen. Looking at Michael, she could see him getting ready for the worst case scenario.

The sound of walking continues shortly before arriving at the base, revealing it to be a man with an Auburn hair. Sera silently narrow her gaze toward the unknown person stature. Those well-toned muscles hidden beneath his trench coat, the numbers of small cuts around his palms, and that damn insignia. She only knows one shop that uses that image, and she knows what that shop caters toward too. _'This man is an __**Adventurer**__.'_ Sera thought in disgust.

She start increasing her concentration into the surrounding. The chance of an accomplice is not out of the picture. While she's discerning her speculation, the unknown person looks around the room, almost as if he is looking for something. It is when his sight landed on Michael that he has a look of recognition on his face.

"Ahh Michael, it's good to see ya buddy, work today sure is tough right?" The man suddenly said.

Sera's mind shortcut for a second. Her mind trying to intake the information revealed. Her guard went instantly up by several level. _'How did he manage to learn Michael's name? and why did he use that lie?'_ It couldn't be her, she never met the guy anywhere. Michael too, judging by the confused look on his face.

'_He's dangerous…'_ Sera thought, '_I only manage to hear eight footsteps instead of the fourteen stairs laid on the staircase. This guy must want to be known by us or a slight misstep causing him to reveal himself. Either way, he learns too much information from our previous discussion.' _Plans to distract the guy are already formulating inside her brain. Unfortunately, that is thrown out of the window when Jack, the lovable naive girl, walks up to him.

"Hey mister? Are you really from Mike-nii's workplace?" She asks curiously, somewhat oblivious to the tension in the room.

"Why I sure am, little Jack." The man squats down to her height and starts ruffling her hair. "Michael always talks about you and Liz during our work time. He said that you guys are the cutest thing in his world. Seeing you in person, I can't help but agree with him."

Smart, the intruder seem to be using Jack as some sort of a hostage. He doesn't seem to know the relationship between us, but he might be if Michael could just stay calm. Michael face twitch rapidly as he silently clenched his fists. _'If you dare use her as a hostage…'_

"Aww, Thank you, big brother." She seems to be flattered by the praise. She looked at her older brother with a big smile.

"Su-Sure, no problem." Michael could only nervously answer her. His previously anger long gone after hearing her phrase. He appears to be thrown off by the man friendliness. But Sera had been working on her job long enough to know that not all kindness is born out of goodwill.

"Now listen here," That caught Jack and everyone else attention."Me and Michael are supposed to work on a super secret project. So I was working late and forgot my bag there. Your big brother is kind enough to take care of that bag for me. So, I'm here to retrieve it."

"Ohh, Mister sure is a hard worker. Is my big brother a hard worker too?" The hopeful gaze causes the man to smile tenderly.

"Yeah, he sure is. He's one of the most tenacious people when it comes to his job. So, Michael, it seems that I overstayed my welcome here. Would you please hand over my bag?"

"Here, " Michael tossed the bag to Shirou, who effortlessly catch it mid air. "Just as it was found." After checking the content, he nodded toward Michael before turning around.

" Thank you. Now, if you will excuse me, I bid you all farewell." The man starts to leave upstairs. However, a voice stopped him.

"Hold on, let me walk you outside. It would be rude if I didn't." Sera walks toward the stairs, both of her arms are tugging behind her back.

"If you insist." The man seems to be oblivious to her plan. Which is perfect for her.

"Mister! could I ask you for your name please. I never saw Onii-chan's friend, so this is the first time for me."

"Its Shirou," the named stranger smiled," Emiya Shirou."

* * *

After both of them reach the large room of the church, Sera suddenly stop right in front of the door, carefully closing it as to not make a sound. With the door now closed and right behind her, she slowly took out her pipe. Her eyes grew colder as she inhale quite a bit from it, before exhaling it out to the surrounding.

Shirou stops after several steps away from the lady, sensing something amiss in his current situation. Shirou wait for a second before turning back after he heard his name called by her.

"So, your name is Shirou huh? If it's even your real name. Now, what is it that you want _**Adventurer**_, your motive surely wouldn't stand from simply retrieving a bag." Sera asks simply.

Her conjecture is coupled with a slight monotone of her voice. Shirou sees her leaning against the wall, one hand holding the smoking pipe while the other rest next to her hip.

Shirou sighed, he seems… indifferent at the subtle hatred toward him. Shirou start to notice something about her; the bags under her eyes, the less amount of fat in some areas, even the pipe smells weird from the distance. Seeing her guard so high up around him, Shirou tried to placate her.

"As crazy as it might sound for you lady, but my goal in this is simply to regain my bag that your little brother stole. There is nothing here for us to get physical about."

"Then how did you know our name, most importantly, their name?" Sera asks, her hand quietly twitch. It would usually be ignored if it's any other person, but Shirou caught on to it as soon as he saw it.

"I'm terribly sorry for eavesdropping on your conversation, but it's the only way for me to create a scenario where it could be resolved peacefully." Her pupils slightly dilated at the mention of eavesdropping, making Shirou feel guilty for using an underhand method.

Shirou know that Sera is watching his every move. Those sharp eyes are trained to his body like a hawks on their prey. The focus of her eyes is too much for a human to handle.

'_Something must be wrong with that pipe.' _Shirou thought. To find out what it is, Shirou probes her reaction by slightly tightening his right arm grip. What surprises him is the immediate reaction of her. The eyes rapidly latch on to his right hand, Her breathing slowly accelerated, and her fingers twitch slightly. Right now, she looks no different than a frightened animal that got cornered. Seeing that he won't do anything more, a slight scowl appears on her face.

"Leave **Adventurer**, I shall chalk this up as Michael being careless. But, your presence is unwelcome here. if you dare to get close to any of those three… then you will know what it's like to feel pain."

Shirou almost smiles bitterly at the irony of it. She, who promises pain, couldn't hope to rival the meaning of pain Shirou experienced in the Holy Grail War. When she finished her threat, she turns around and is about to open the door. Remembering their situation, Shirou has to do one more thing.

"Hey, Lady!"

"My name is Sera." She said irritably, hiding a pained look on her face.

"No matter, catch this." Shirou throw her a bag, the arc of the throw make sure it landed on her hand. Sera looks suspiciously at the pouch, using a shard of glass, she throws it right beside it so the content could spill. What she expects it to be some trap from him, what she didn't expect, is it to see valis spill out from it.

"I don't need your pity money adventurer." Sera said in disgust.

"For the last time, I'm not an adventurer. That money isn't for you." that appear to stump her. "Those are for your siblings. Seeing their happiness from my money, it should serve them much better than me." Shirou softly smile.

Sera looks suspicious at his word. Yet, that smile, that kind expression, it's too genuine to be false. Sera sigh in resignation. These kind of people are always hard to deal with.

"Fine, but don't expect this to be used as a favor."

"I never planned too." Shirou said jokingly.

"... One last question before we part ways. Why? Why do you do all of this? You could just brute force your way through to get your money, you could just go on your way without giving us the money. Why did you put yourself in a disadvantaged position when you have the power over us?" Sera could never understand how Saints could go on with their lives by donating money that they earn to other people who didn't put that much effort in it.

It's unfair, the world shouldn't need those kind hearted people, it only serves to show a much lazier way to earn money, that being in poverty isn't an unfortunate circumstance. Where are they when she cried for help? where are the kind people when she was forced into her job? After so many years of misfortune, To be the receiving end of kindness… it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

"You guys are dealt a bad hand by life itself. You never offended nor hurt me, so why should I use force? You couldn't even hope to fight me with those injuries. For your second question, Call me crazy or idiotic, but no matter where you are, what world you live in… It's never wrong to help others. "

Saying his piece, Shirou departed from the church, leaving Sera inside the church. She walked silently toward the bag that he thrown, contemplating on his last word.

.

.

.

.

.

A small walk away from the church, Shirou wobble slightly from his step and took shelters on one of the pillars.

**BAM**

Shirou punches the pillar to the left of his side, causing a medium size crack of webs from the point of impact.

He looks at his left arm, the discolored hand that resulted from his ideals to become a hero…

He promised himself to toss away his dreams to save everyone. He stops himself from helping people more than necessary.

But...

Seeing those innocent smiles, free from the corrupt side of the world. Then there the woman, she may look fine, but her countenance is anything but great. Sera is sick, the cause seem to stem from the pipe she's been using. He knows something is wrong with that pipe, but inquiring it more may lead to a worse case for both of them. She reminded him about Sakura, the way she tried to hide her injuries from her loved one as to not bother them. Shirou know the path she will lead, and he won't make the same mistake.

Shirou sighed as he rested his head on Archer's palm.

"_I guess discarding that ideal is harder than I thought…"_

Getting back up, Shirou resumes his journey back toward his new home. Unknowing of the wheels of Fate turning through his actions.

* * *

**AN 2 : I change the last scene, mostly because someone pointed it out that it wasn't really how i envisioned it. And you're right, it doesn't. So I have my friend help me polish it out more. **

**Beta'ed by LOLZ1337**

**AN : Alright, I'm finally done with this chapter. Sorry for the late update, I was busy plotting some arcs to go with the story.**

**So this is like the beginning of the first Arc with OC characters. The idea stuck in my head of showing Shirou one part of the darkness in Orario and see how he react to it. Maybe it be turn into something believable, maybe not.**

**Sorry if this chapter and character interaction feels kinda rushed, I'm hoping to pump out a chapter at least once per week, but spending two days on plotting kinda mess up that schedule.**

**Since i have a plot I could go with, writing the next might be far easier and faster than before. who knows.**

**Sorry for the lack of omake this chapter, I don't have much time putting one since schedule been rather tight.**

**Also, I decide to not overuse the suicidal sword style, mostly just to bring some new swords into play :)**

**That's enough for now, Review and constructive criticism is welcome, I don't own Fate nor Danmachi. Now, onto the review.**

**Flightless Potato, Ruberforumfree, Semi immortal cat Akumu : **Well, here's your answer. Granted, Shirou now understand the Theory behind it, but in practice, he still has a long way before achieving his prime.

**ENDRAGON369** : You mean Maid Alter or Santa Alter? I think you meant Maid Alter. Yeah, I didn't get someone I hope to get this year, but I did get Nero, so it's fine on my book.

**HienChuyHuy**: Hmm, i have a general idea for it now. I just need to develop it more.

**Link901** : Thanks man. I like to think myself as somewhat a perfectionist. If i can try to combine some mechanics from Fate and Danmachi into something believable, why not. Hope you like the explanation on why Shirou got into that condition. It's been on my mind since the start of this project.

**Hungryshark**: Of course, if I immediately sent him to level six because of some deus ex machina, where's the fun in that?

**Star**: That's what I've been pushing lol. Now, it start to become more Story like than a series of oneshot like Emiya gohan.

**Savoled**: Lol, why didn't i think about that? xD

**VGblackwing**: Could be a scene in the future, could be not. Who knows? But it certainly will be a sight to se ;)

**Zerodragon**: Sorry if this is late, but pray for RNGesus to bless your rolls, i didn't get mine but it wasn't bad either.

**Jose19** : Soon, my man, soon.

**Fanficreader**: Nice, I didn't know they have a manga version of them. I'll be sure to check it out. Thanks for the info.


	7. Chapter 4 : Night and Day

_**Liveliness**_

An atmosphere of excitement and activity. A scene that occurs naturally in a highly crowded area. It's in human's nature to interact with one another, a rule that helps create the civilization of mankind. It's no surprise that the most liveliness of all the place occurs in a densely populated area. Markets, shops, streets, even an area within the dungeon have this so-called vibrancy.

_A restaurant in a crowded street is no exemption._

The restaurant that goes by the name of the Hostess of Fertility shines its brightness on the darkened street before it. The lights give off a warm glow that emits a feeling of welcome to the passerby. A peer inside is all that is needed to ascertain the claim. Conversation and discussion are passed around by effervescent adventurers. Variety of races all trade their stories and valor in their drunken mood. Some share their glory in defeating the mighty minotaur while others told of their heroic feat in killing a large number of monsters with only their teamwork and wits.

For the listeners, most of them are taking their claims with a grain of salt. These sights are commonplace in pubs like this, only proof such as drops would make them acknowledge their saga. However, none of them ever once interfere with the spectacle. The owner of this tavern is known with her iron rule toward troublemakers, none so far have escaped her wrath unscathed. Both the listener and the narrator are using this opportunity as their time to cool off from the dungeon below, where the sight of the beautiful waitress and excellent food relieve their stress.

Like a stream of water coursing through a formation of rocks, the waitress nimbly walks through the cracks of space between table. Both hands are holding a tray filled with wooden plates and foods. With their experience in dealing with customers, they effortlessly take orders from clients using their memory while engaging in small talk at the same time.

The chefs, on the other hand, work tirelessly to supply their clients appetites through sheer skills and will power. Live flames dance around multiple pans and pots with a myriad of sound accompany its music. Ingredients of all sort of kind went in and out of this room in a different state than before.

Shirou, the chef of the kitchen following Mia decision a week prior, is currently manning the kitchen with the proprietress herself. After spending multiple hours serving food, both of them develop a synergy with each other. Shirou jobs are to cut and prepare the ingredients to its maximum state while Mia's duty is to cook them into meals worth serving in the pub. Their roles will sometimes reverse when Shirou's menu will be up for serving. The owner decided to limit it to once per week is a sound idea since they always seem to run out of supplies every time his menu is on display. The capability of Shirou in serving all of them is already nearing a god's level. Right now, both of them are in their respective places and job while May, the little nekojin, helps out by cleaning the dishes. Together, they form quite a team.

"Shirou! is the Lycarion beef ready yet?" Mia hollered toward her co-chef, her eyes remain steadfast at the boiling stew on the oven. It's a tradition inside the benevolent mistress to serve soup once a week before Shirou become a chef. Today, it appears that they would be serving a vegetable beef soup. Shirou seems adamant in soaking the beef into his new sauce. It's a risk to go against the recipe since its work in the past. Fortunately, the risk is able to bear fruition. Customers appear to order this batch in droves, so much so that both Shirou and Mia are already trying to create the third batch after it's predecessor run out.

"I'm working on it, it still needs thirty more seconds before the Lycarion beef are fully soaked with the sauce. In the meantime, the Rachini onion has been diced. The Markarita cod will be skinned after this as well. Both of them should be done under a minute." Sounds of perfectly timed cutting almost drown out Shirou voice, but Mia manages to hear him loud and clear.

"Alright, make sure those onions are in a square shaped. We need its essence to enhance the beef taste. Don't forget to check the fish for any leftover skin, Makarita fish are infamous for their incredibly slippery surface."

"Very well." Shirou replied.

"May, I need two medium plates and a small bowl in thirty seconds! This dish won't serve themselves and the clock is always ticking!"

"Its coming Mama Mia!" Just like that, the small girl rushes towards Mia's station and handed her the plates in the designated area. Years of hard work and repetition in cleaning the plates help create a stainless platter that looks brand new. After successfully finishing the request, May return back to the pile of plates in the sink.

After handing over the finished Lycarion beef, Shirou starts working on the fish. Since the customer order a Fried Cod Fish, Shirou first priority is the batter. Using rice flour and a bottle of beer, he starts mixing both of them together in an even manner, creating a cream sticky liquid.

With the batter made, it's time to dip the Cod into it. Using the leftover rice flour and some seasoning, Shirou covered the fish with the mixed ingredients to let the beer batter stick into it. As the oil pan is ready to go, Shirou carefully drops the battered fish into the oil, making sure it landed gently. The Cod will float in several minutes inside the pan before it is ripened to lift off.

Mia turns and looks toward Shirou's cooking. Seeing him adapting to the work environment creates a sense of pride within her. _'Maybe this is what a mom feels like watching their young ones grow.' _It would certainly felt similar to this. Looking at the decreasing list of order, Mia decides to give a small reward for Shirou.

"Oi Shirou, it seems you're done with your end. How about you serve those dishes before taking a quick break." Mia offhandedly mentions her suggestion. She could see that the boy is mildly surprised by her words.

"Thanks, but I'm not that tired." Shirou reassures his boss, this work out is nothing compared to the time when Shirou's menu is on display. He still shudders at the dwindling supplies he used just to satisfy their request.

"Nonsense, you been working for two hours straight already. Look at you, your hair has already some patch of white in your auburn color. It must have come from stress. It wouldn't be unprofessional for me as your boss if I didn't take care of my employees." Mia stops her activity and looks at Shirou in the eyes, her worry seems to be getting on him. It would certainly be useless even when Shirou manages to explain the cause is something related to his _condition_.

"bu-but.."

"Don't be such a pansy, accept an olive branch whenever it was presented for you. Now go before the foods have gone cold." Mia slapped the back of Shirou, almost sending him to the ground by the sheer strength. After putting all the orders on the tray, she shoved it into Shirou embrace before pushing him through the door of the kitchen into the hallway. His face indicated that he's still dazed from the impact on his back.

Shirou stops for a second, his back leaning against the hallway right next toward the stairs. It's a good thing that Mia didn't accidentally push him onto the counter door, that would spell bad for him. A simple exhale is all he needed to regain his bearings. Rubbing his sore back for a moment, Shirou shook his head before heading toward the dining room. His sight was welcomed by Chloe walking past him. Both of them nodded to each other as if it's the most obvious thing, it took a few seconds before the gears in her mind start turning, a daunting look rise to her face.

"Shirou!? what are you doing outside the kitchen?" Chloe calls him out, her black cat ear twitch to show her surprise.

"Haha, I wonder that myself." Shirou chuckled slightly at that.

"It's rare for you to even be here, you usually just hole up inside that room for the rest of your work hours. Don't tell me, did Mama Mia demote you to a simple waiter?" There it is, the signature Chloe smirk. When she adopts that smile, there's a guaranteed chance that she might tease you until your nothing but a husk. Syr always complaining about Chloe teasing her about her hobbies every time they were alone together.

"Very funny, but it's not far off the mark. Mia wants me to take a quick break after serving this dish, it seems it wasn't as crowded as it used to."

"Heh, you got a point. Still, you need to take care of yourself more. I could already see some small bags under your eyes. You need to relax." Her smirk is gone, replaced by a tone Shirou would always get from Fuji-nee.

'_I guess I did it again…'_ Shirou, even though he promised himself to take it slow, still finds himself drowning in work. It just doesn't feel like him if Shirou just stops and relax. Yet, if it's starting to worry about his co-workers, then maybe he should change somewhat for the better. "I will try to do that Chloe, as long as there's not much else for me to do."

"Hoho, you know Mia can't just let go of her recent Valis maker. Orders will just keep coming as more people get the taste of your cooking. Compared to when you first started working here, it's really is a miracle that this is more manageable right now. Maybe this could be a reason she gave you the job of a waiter no?" a slight nudge on his side caused him to shutter a bit.

"Maybe it is.." that earn a chuckle from the both of them. Now, all they need is Anya to deliver the final blow. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, she seems to be preoccupied in greeting patrons.

"Do you want me to serve it for you? you could take a break right now if you want." Chloe asked, her tone switch back to that of a big sister. She always prefers to be their oldest sibling in their makeshift workplace. It doesn't help that her teasing reinforce that idea.

"It's fine, I don't want to burden you with this. Plus, I doubt you will escape Mama Mia's wrath if she manages to find out about this."

"Puh, what a spoilsport." She puffs her check and pout at him. Somehow she sounds disappointed by this, "Well then, good luck serving customers Explosive boy."

"Urgh, who told you that?" There are only two people that would call him that and dare to spread it. But Syr could have a chance on circulating it.

"I'm not telling you baka~. You gotta learn how to keep your sources anonymous." With a small twirl, she went back into serving customers with a slight skip in her step. Shirou looks at her fading back for a moment, a small sigh of content escape his mouth.

"Alright, let's get this over with."

Shirou walks through the space between chairs with some slight difficulty. Some customers cast a curious glance toward him. Since Shirou mostly kept to himself inside the kitchen, not many patrons know the face behind the elusive chef. He arrives at his destination, a party of three adventurers in their working clothes sitting around a small round table. It seems they didn't notice or care about his presence, all three of them appear to engage in a particular discussion.

"So, is she still out of commission?" A blonde guy asks, his attire indicate him to be an adventurer. His leather armor looks a bit torn by some claws, indicate him to be fresh from the dungeon.

"Yeah, they took her out of the lineup, said she was too damaged for use." his answer comes from the person next to him. His state of attire is similar to the blonde-haired man. The man grizzled face coupled with a well defined large body spoke of the harsh experience he went through.

"Damn, some bastard must have been too harsh on her." The blonde man looks strangely pissed off by the prospect of it. His hand slightly clench as his scowl is showing.

"Idiot, why are you guys talking about that here?!" A brown-haired pallum is slightly anxious about this. His party members seem to be too just snap out and realize they are in a public space.

"Relax, nobody would notice it." the blonde guy just waved it off.

"Let's just forget about this. She soon be back in like what, a week? just hold your horses till then." The giant man commented, his eyes now realizing that the food is here.

"Oh, the foods here. Thanks man."

"It's no problem." Shirou replied, his mind slightly intrigued by their conversation. _'what could they possibly be talking about?'_

"Say, boss, do you think he works here?" The pallum asked, his face is slightly red from the alcohol.

"He looks like em. Maybe he already sinks his claws on some of them." The blonde haired replied.

"Lucky, to be in the presence of beautiful women here. TELL ME YOUR SECRET." It appears the pallum is having trouble trying to attract a woman. The short yell is later drowned by his sobs and beer, it appears alcohol may play a matter in this.

"Idiot, low down your voice. you don't want to earn Mama Mia's wrath. I'm truly sorry about our dumbhead friend over here. He likes to get drunk on beer even though a single glass is enough to knock him out." The grizzled man offers his apology, he knows how much his two party members could be a nuisance.

"It's fine, but try to reign your friend a bit more. Mia's doesn't really like rowdy customers." Shirou gave his own tip for them, he saw more than plenty enough when Mia decides to get out of the kitchen and throw some troublemaker into the street.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Come on Deck, let's eat this meal and buzz off, you drink too much." The man laughs good-naturedly. Looking back at the person they're discussing, the pallum is already flat out drunk.

"Urgh… Captain, don't you think needle rabbits are just too cute to kill you…" Somehow, he manages to even speak in that state of drunkenness.

"Haha, I'll leave you at that." Shirou took that as a cue to leave.

Shirou slowly turns around and walks back toward the back door, however, a certain sound manage to enter his ear, he could already tell it wasn't a good one.

"Customer, i think you have enough beer." Syr is currently tending a customer with a hill of empty glass next to him. His scarred face is already flushed in red with some stain across his face. He sends a hateful expression at Syr, causing her to slightly move back by it.

"b-but, i need moRE!"

"It's already your twelve glass sir, we wouldn't recommend drinking any more than that."

"I SaID, I NEED MORE BEER!" The man seemed to be consumed by his rage, pushing himself to stand up and throw an arm to try grab Syr. She closes her eyes in reflex, bringing her tray up as a makeshift shield. Fortunately, she doesn't have to.

"Would you kindly leave sir?" Syr slowly opens her eyes, what she expected to be the face of the drunken man is replaced by the back of someone she knew well.

"Who the hell are you?" The drunk man slurred, his arm is firmly grasped by Shirou's left hand, a smile appear on his face.

"I'm just a simple guy that wants to protect his co-worker. I suggest that you pay your drink and leave sir, we don't need to get physical." His line are delivered loud and clearly, but it only seemed to anger the customers.

"You got the gall to command me to LEAVE?! ME, AERON, A LEVEL 3 ADVENTURER?!" Shirou kept his smile even when he knew the man tried to compress his wrist. Strangely, he doesn't feel that much pain from the pressure. His left grip still remains steadfast in holding the man arm down.

"I don't, but that doesn't mean someone else can." Soon, a towering figure appears behind Shirou, a scowl on her face indicate the anger she has right now.

"Ohhh, so you think yourself so high and mighty in here huh?!" She proceeds to grab the man by the collar, effectively lifting him up from the ground.

"Hiiihhh!?" The man broke out of his stupor, his terrified face let out a small shriek.

"Well if planning to keep doing it." Mia assumes a stance, "THEN DO IT ELSEWHERE YOU BASTARD!" She proceeds to through Aeron onto the street, where his face unfortunately lands on a puddle. Most of the customers didn't react to this while some just spare a glance. It's already an unspoken rule to never cause trouble inside the shop.

"Huff…" Mia cleans her hand, her scowl somewhat lightens after the toss. "Shirou, go back into the kitchen. That customer pissed me off more than I would've liked to."

"Hai Hai." Shirou walks back toward the door, the atmosphere within the pub went back to normal. It almost seems that someone hit a rewind function, letting the previous conversation go without the interruption ever happen. Well, most of them did.

Shirou felt a small tug by his sleeves, alerting him of someone behind him. A quick glance at the back indicates him to be Syr. A small blush appears on her face.

"Can I help you with something?" Shirou innocently asked.

"Well, it's just… I want to thank you for saving me." Syr responded, shuffling slightly with anxiety and embarrassment.

"You could've credit that work to Mama Mia. All I did was stopping a hand from going for you." Shirou downplays his action, in his eyes, he didn't do anything significant.

"Mou Shirou, you have to know that women don't just let someone touch them willy nilly. It's like the first layer is our chastity." Her pout manages to land a critical hit on Shirou, causing him to really rethink his actions.

"Alright, alright. So what is it that you want?" Syr appears slightly embarrassed by this, but she manages to calm herself down.

Syr corrected her throat, "Be sure to be awake at 10 AM sharp tomorrow. I have a reward for you, Hero-san." with that, she returned to the fray of the dining room.

That one word cause Shirou eyes to slightly widen. He himself thinks that what he did is a good gesture, but it wouldn't warrant her to calling him a hero. _'heh, a Hero huh, I wouldn't call myself one if you saw what I did in the name of a hero.' _Shirou thought silently to himself. The action he took in the Holy Grail War is not what many consider it to be heroic.

"Congratulations, you manage to reach that level of Syr friendliness." Lunoire come into the picture while holding a tray full of food in her hand.

"Is it a good or bad thing?" a dread start to surface within his mind. The small curve on her lip doesn't really indicate it being that great.

"You'll see, I would've loved to see your reaction if it's going to happen." the waitress looks like she's having a hard time controlling her laughter, something that doesn't help Shirou.

"Somehow you're starting to make me regret this."

"Fufu, we shall wait and see Explosive boy." Lunoire took the cue to leave, resigning Shirou to his fate at dawn.

* * *

_**Not enough**_

Those are the words that keep circulating within Aiz brain. She is currently in one of Loki's familia training ground, swinging her sword while practicing a set of moves. Every stroke of her blade, every footwork she would do, all of them are performed with grace. Year's after years of experience shape her body and sword in perfecting her technique. The full moon glow gave off an ethereal impression toward onlookers as she kept practicing her blade.

However, she starts to feel that she hadn't made an improvement in a while. She knows it, and she hated herself for knowing the truth. She could sense the muscle in her body, the handle in her hands, even her eyes could feel it,

_That she reaches her limit_

Thus, Aiz constantly throws herself into training, only having a brief break in walking down the street. When she first thought about it, Aiz almost dismisses the idea. The time that she spent walking around and eating food could be spent training her body to surpass her shackle. However, it did turn out to be not as bad as she thought it would be.

Shirou, the enigma of a man. When she first saw him, she felt pity for him. In all of her life living in Orario, she never once saw that bad of an injury coming from the surface. She would have thought that he would wallow in despair by his damage, but it shocks her that he could still be up and running. His will to live is certainly commendable.

Aiz stop for a moment, she could hear her stomach rumbling for food. It didn't cross her mind that she would be this hungry, maybe it's because she always eats Shirou's fried potatoes whenever she was hungry.

'_Maybe I could still get some Jagamaru in time…' _Aiz quickly dismissed her thought. Shirou is currently working right now and she doesn't want to interfere with it. All she could hope is to find some leftover foods in her familia kitchen.

"Oh ya Aiz, I didn't expect you to be up this late." a voice calls her out, earning a look from Aiz. It was Riveria, walking through one of the hallways connected to the training area. Her green eyes held a slight bags under them, must be something that's tiring her out.

"Riveria… did the meeting go well?" Aiz heard from Tiona before she left that Finn, Gareth, and Riveria are discussing their next expedition. They wouldn't start their expedition until next week, but that's the life of being a commander in a large group.

"Ahh, you don't have to say it to me twice." She sighed exasperatedly before leaning against one of the walls.

(**Flashback**)

"So, what is the current situation?" Finn Deime, the captain of the Loki familia, calls out to the current top executive members in the meeting room. The room is devoid from other familia members except for three of them.

Riveria took a sip from her tea. As the Vice captain of her familia, it's her job in handling the logistics within the group. The head captain is responsible for negotiations and general management while Gareth is in charge of equipment and training. Through the years she has been working with them, Riveria is glad that the three of them are competent in managing their familia.

"The logistics team are doing fine right now, we manage to pay off our bills to the Amaethon familia for their crops. They have been experiencing some unfortunate harvest lately, so we have to wait until the end of the week for them to procure the supply." The high elf provided her piece, taking another sip from her tea after she finished. After many years spent outside of her own kingdom, Riveria still holds her basic etiquette that a noble should know.

"Hmm, so that's five days by now. That shouldn't be too bad, we could use that time frame to let our familia rest for a while." Finn nodded his blonde head. Turning his attention onto his dwarf friend, Finn inquired him on his side of the report.

"Gareth, how's the weapon maintenance coming along?"

The dwar gives a smile at his question. "It pleases me that Goibnu still let us use his service after the many times we ask him to repair our weapons. He informs that judging by the rate of them working, we could have our weapons back in top condition in 4 days."

Gareth looks at Finn, while his face still retains his perfect smile, he knows something must be bothering him. Finn never pass the chance to drink his favorite wine present on his table. Yet, he never touch it once. Looking at Riveria, Gareth know that she notices the same thing.

"So, what seems to be troubling you, Captain?"

"Haha, I guess you guys would notice it. It's not much in terms of threat to us, but it is quite concerning. There have been reports of the Ishtar Familia being on the move. Her establishment slowly grows larger and many people got recruited by her. We don't know the extent of her power, but she's slowly becoming the more dominant authority out of the four factions in the red light district." Finn brought his thumb closer to his mouth.

"So the Civil War is approaching its end huh." Gareth said, rustling his beard after hearing the news. The civil war they have been talking about occurs in the underbelly of Orario. The red light district has been in a state of war since 10 years ago with all four factions vied for total control over the entertainment district. What used to be a cold war between the three factions was broken with the sudden appearance of Ishtar. Her love for lust and War quickly push her familia to be a prominent faction in the underworld war.

"Hmm, as long as the war doesn't extend to our familia, I don't see why we should interfere with this." Gareth casually remarks his opinion, as far as he knows, the war has yet to spill toward the upper side of the city.

"You are correct. But knowledge about our current situation can serve a longer purpose than purposefully ignoring it."

"I'll keep that in mind." The dwarf affirms the warning. "On a lighter note, how's the training for our new recruits coming along?" Gareth said good-naturedly, what he expected to change the mood only works partially since Riveria adopted a frustrated look.

"Ahh yes, the recruits..."

"Is something wrong with them?" Finn asked.

"It's the same thing as our last batch of trainees, most of them show no sign of using what information is given to them and applying it in a fight. Those who do know how to use them can only be counted with one finger."

"Come now, all of them never set foot in the dungeon, you can't expect them to become a first-rate adventurer in an instant. Just give them some time to adjust, let them grow so they could fend for themselves."

"But a person who even have a bit of common sense would use the time spent in the library searching for clues and knowledge about monsters instead of lazing around." her brow furrowed as she continues to rant about the mistakes they make in the first layer of the dungeon. It took a fulfill of tea and reassurance from both the dwarf and pallum in order to stop her tirade.

"Maybe you should be a little less harsh on them. You can really drive the idea to use the library if they want to have an easier time in the dungeon. The small dungeon excursion could serve as a reminder for them." Gareth offers a solution, something that Riveria already thought so as well.

"... You're right, maybe I'm a little harsh on them. I will give them time, but I hope they could use that first-hand experience as a motivator for learning. Sooner or later, they are bound to reach a point where their skills simply aren't good enough to power through monsters." Riveria finally relented, causing Gareth and Finn to smile at their success.

"Then, there is another case for this…" Finn said.

"Hmm, ahh, her…"

"Yes, Aiz especially." Finn confirm her suspicion, " While training oneself is never a bad choice, the rate of which she's training right now is approaching concerning level."

Riveria sighs heavily at Finn's words, " I always told her to not push herself too hard."

"Ohh, the famous mother hen in our familia can't curb stomp Aiz behavior huh, that's certainly is strange." Finn teasingly said, earning a small tick mark from her.

" I don't think my opinion ever warrant a comment from an old man." Riveria lightly smiles at Finn.

" Even by today's standard, I'm still younger than you…" a small lightning flash pass in their stares, their face adopt a smile but everyone could see the lack of cheerfulness in them.

"Maa Maa, let's save your bickering on the next time." Gareth diffuses the situation, it's always his role to stop these two from bickering. It feels like he's the oldest out of the Pallum and Elf especially.

Finn corrected his throat, " Anyway, try to find a way for her to relax, I don't want her to miss experiencing some moment of relaxation in the city. She needs all the rest she can get before the next expedition, I could already tell that it would be different from the others." Finn brought his thumb close to his mouth, he could feel in his gut.

"I will try my best." Riveria drinks the last drop of her tea. The meeting is approaching the end with all of the basic topics covered.

"Alright, Since that is pretty much it, this weekly meeting is officially adjourned. Since this is already late, I suggest all of you have some good rest, this is going to be another restless week."

"So the same as always. Well, I'll see you later then Finn."

"It's time for me to excuse myself as well, I bid you all farewell."

Soon, both of them left the room, leaving Finn there sitting on the table.

"Geh, both of them leave me to cleaning duty again." Somehow that thought always escape his mind.

(**Flashback** **end**)

"So that's about it mostly, for now, I forbid you to train in any shape or form tomorrow. You need to learn how to relax when given the chance." Riveria have to fight the urge to feel guilty when she saw the look of shock on her face.

"But… I need to get stronger." It's what Aiz has been fighting her whole life for. To avenge the people she cared about. She couldn't realise those revenge if she was weak.

_She need to get stronger_

_Stronger than anyone has ever reach._

_So she could finally meet that person._

_someone she missed so dearly._

_That's her entire purpose in becoming an adventurer_.

"Yet pushing yourself to the limit will only serve to detriment you from your progress. You can't fight if your body is too exhausted, monsters will eventually wear you down long enough for you to make a mistake. And that blunder will end your life."

Aiz seems to be mulling hard over this, it is true that she felt more tired than usual with her tight schedule. The question being, what does she want to do other than training.

"I don't know what to do…"

"Hmm?" that seems to surprise the elf, "Now that you mention it, what do you do when you're not training."

"Sleeping."

"No, like, what like your activity during the day"

"Training in the dungeon "

"No, arghh, besides that. Did you ever do something rather than the basic necessities and training?" Riveria patience is nearing the limit with Aiz airheadedness.

"Usually Tiona drags me into one of her adventures around town, but both Tiona and Tione are out right now."

"So you really have nothing to do in your downtime?"

"hmm." her nod confirmed it.

"Haahh, " Riveria already lost count of the number of sighs she manages to let out today. "Well then, I guess you could join me tomorrow in something."

"What are you going to do?" The last sentence manage to pique her interest, Riveria would rarely ask someone to join her on something other than familia business.

"I'm teaching a clueless magic caster with an interesting boy appears to have the ability to suck the mana in the air rather than letting it flow naturally. The capability of that skill could be used to amplify a spell into a higher degree without the necessary use of longer chanting. It could also shorten an aria since the mana absorption rate is higher. It would prove beneficial if I manage to learn the method of doing this." Riveria looks to be very focused on this person.

'_Maybe… I could learn that skill.' _It's a possibility, but it's a slim chance. However, to Aiz, any means of increasing her strength is welcome to her.

"Who is this person anyway?" Aiz inquired Riveria, her eyes sparkled at the prospect of increasing her strength.

"You'll see, you're going to recognize him in an instant." Riveria could only give Aiz a cryptic smile.

* * *

The morning sun basked the world once more as the night faded into the background. It's the start of a new day for the resident of Orario. Many people began to relax as they intake the sunlight in, for our resident chef, on the other hand, he's in the middle of his usual morning training.

Shirou is currently doing push-ups on the oak floor of the training area. His shirtless body glistens with sweat and the ray of light reflection of it. The muscle in his arm bulges a little from the obvious force used to push him back up. The only thing keeping him from being a hundred percent shirtless is the Shroud on his left arm. The shroud surprisingly exhibits no sign of damage or dilapidation from overall usage. Shirou secretly sighs in relief, the shroud is the only piece that is keeping him from being overpowered by Archer soul. If it manages to show sign of tearing, then it's something that Shirou has to address very quickly.

After fifty sets of push-ups, Shirou relaxes his body for a good 30 seconds before going into the final routine. Activating his magic circuits, he let the mana flow through his body before concentrating on both of his arms.

"_Trace on." Shirou whispered quietly._

A blueprint for two swords, both of them are separate yet inseparable at the same time. A pair of weapon that follows his stained hand as he progresses through the Holy Grail War.

Kanshou and Bakuya rested respectively on his hands. Both of them glistening brightly as the sunlight reflected from their surface. Shirou still has a nagging feeling that he should conceal his magic from ordinary eyes. However, this world is already different from the earth. With humanity never left the age of gods, magic is extremely common here. Shirou knows that he shouldn't need to be overly cautious about his magic, but year's of habit is still harder to get rid off.

With those twins swords, Shirou starts doing some basic swings in repetition. His goal in doing this is to increase and maintain his flexibility and strength since a single mistake is enough to take his life in the middle of a battle.

_Swing._

_repeat._

_Swing._

_repeat._

_swing._

_repeat._

Shirou kept slashing his twin swords until he reaches his limit. Even though he is tired from this work out, Shirou could feel himself grew more attuned to the blades. His swings become more refined and move with a technique instead of swinging it wildly. His footwork slowly match the memories of Archer stance that has been popping inside his mind.

Shirou collapse onto the wooden floor, His arms rested on the cold touch of the woods with the twin's swords still within its grasp. Shirou decide that it's enough for today, letting his projection disappeared in a blue not of light. The magus stayed at this state close to five minutes before sitting himself back up. Checking his body, he could see that his muscles are developing at a decent rate. Sooner or later, he could potentially wield a weapon the same as its pervious wielder without damaging his physique.

_Sniff_

'_...First, I need to take a shower.'_

Ten minutes in the shower, Shirou has finally been freed from the putrid smell. His training clothes have been changed into his work/rest clothes.

Looking at the clock, he realized it was almost 10 in the morning. He should have about one and a half hours of free time before his appointed meeting with Riveria. Shirou starts thinking about the list to do during those free time when he heard sounds from the kitchen. The sunlight flows through the cracks from the opened door with a slow hum following it. There shouldn't be anyone in the kitchen this early in the morning since only Shirou and Mia use the kitchen.

Walking toward the opened door, Shirou peeked inside, causing it to open slightly. Shirou is surprised that it was Syr that's using the kitchen. Her expression shows her focus on the task at hand. Breads and some sliced meat on the side with a couple sauce.

Shirou wait for a moment outside of the door, letting Syr finishing her sandwich. After around five minutes of waiting, it looks like she's finally done with it. A few seconds later, Syr look back with a smug look.

"You can come out now," Syr said suddenly, her teasing smile is on display once again.

"Haha, busted." Shirou scratch his head.

"Its surprising that you manage to forget about the thing about the door haven't you."

"...ahh." Shirou wants to bang his head against the wall, he completely forgot about the wood creaks cause when moving the door.

"You know Anya's not going to let this one go if I manage to tell her that no?" Syr smile innocently, but anyone can tell it has some element of teasing inside it.

"Please don't..." Shirou can't stand Anya when she's on a full teasing mood. She will always mention it if they happen to cross paths.

"Don't worry, I'm not that cruel." Syr reassures Shirou before turning her back against him. She fiddled the things in front of her before turning back and giving it to Shirou.

"Here, your reward for being my hero." Looking at the content from the box, it surprisingly looks similar to the sandwich Shirou used to make back at Fuyuki. Two bread jammed together with meat and multiple vegetables serve as its fillings. It looks pleasant to taste, but something feels wrong with it.

"Is it alright for me to eat this?"

"Who else would I give this to, Silly. Honestly, you could be quite dense in some situations."

"Alright, Alright. hmm, a sandwich huh?" Shirou mention offhandedly, it always amaze Shirou that sometimes Orario and Earth aren't that much different from each other.

"Yeah, I can't really give you anything, so why not making you a sandwich."

Shirou took a bite. Soon, he grew silent as he stuck at the position. _'It's surprisingly bland in terms of taste. the vegetables doesn't really mesh well together and the meat she's using is counterintuitive since it needs to be fried in order to bring out it's potential. Overall, the sandwich is not bad for a first timer, yet there is many rooms for improvement.'_

"So, is it good?" Syr inquired, she seems hopeful about her sandwich. Shirou now felt guilty for what he's about to do. There are many things that Shirou could tolerate on, but sadly food isn't one of them.

"I think you could add a little bit more to the sandwich. The tomato doesn't really blend well with the chicken meat. butterhead lettuce could also be replaced with its leaf version. Even the dotted mushroom won't blend well with the existing meal. Overall, it's quite stale flavor-wise, but pretty good if this is your first time creating a sandwich."

"Shirou, it's ungentlemanly of you to criticize women cooking you know."

"But that would only serve to detriment your progress. Failure is always the first step to success, you cannot improve if no one points out your mistakes. It's unwise for me as a friend if I didn't help you fix your mistake so please take my advice seriously. Where did you even find this recipe anyway?" It definitely raises some flag when Syr act embarrassed judging by her shifting foot with her arms behind her back.

"Its… uhh… it's from a cookbook I manage to find in the library." Syr proceeds to display the cookbook she has in her hand. The steps seem fine, but there are many, many things to improve on.

Shirou chuckled at her confession, it wouldn't help her any good if Shirou left her to her device. "Sometimes cookbooks like this are outdated. Judging by the state of it, I say the book is almost a hundred years old. There may be a better way to make a sandwich than before so you gotta try to experiment it yourself instead of following instructions. Here, let me teach you." Shirou began to pick up a slice of meat, his mouth start to runoff about the process behind it.

"Ohh.." Syr could only submit to his lecture mode, there is no telling when he would stop once he is in his mindset. Yet, it should be quite fun to follow his instruction.

Shirou looks at the pile of sandwich resting on the kitchen counter. All of them are set in a row of 3 that contains 4 separate kinds of the sandwich. It's certainly quite an achievement that Shirou and Syr manage to create that many sandwiches in just thirty minutes. Sadly, their expenditure on ingredients left them with the only option to restock.

"Syr…" Shirou called out his partner in crime, his eyes never left the column of sandwich.

"Yeah, Shirou?" Syr has the same reaction as him, she's too shocked to even express emotion.

"...I think we made too much." Shirou said.

"Awawawa, Mama Mia is going to scold us." Syr is in panic mode which doesn't help the situation. Shirou was too much into his lecture mindset that he started to make many variants of a sandwich. Syr, enamored by his lecture, didn't realise they finished up the bread supply within the pub. With all of it combined, they roughly make about 12 sandwiches. That number is simply too large for either of them to eat.

"Don't worry, if we manage to replace the ingredients by noon, we should be fine, although we need to deal with the large batch of sandwich." Shirou offers a solution, an idea soon pops off from Syr head as well.

"That's a great idea. Hmm, how about this. As the previous repayment is invalid, let me handle restocking the food, you should bring the sandwich to the person you're meeting with so you could have lunch together. I think this is a much better gift for you."

"Is it really okay to leave it to you?" Shirou worriedly asked, it doesn't feel right for him to dump the duty onto Syr alone.

"Don't worry," Syr wave his worry away, "I don't want to ruin your day just because of my blunder. Now, here's the wrap box. Go on, my hero, live your life to the fullest for my sake." Syr handed him the box, her words depicted the moment like a princess giving her loyal knight her blessing.

Shirou chuckled at this, he decided to play along. "And I, your Hero, shall recount the tale of my journey to you when I returned, my princess."

"Ehh!?" His own tease appear to work, Syr face lit up by several doses of red as it doesn't need an idiot to know that she's embarrassed.

Shirou quickly picks up the box and left, ignoring the cries he could hear from Syr as she calls his name. The sun lines perfectly with the vertical street in front of him. He smiles at the scene, the day already started out wonderfully.

* * *

**AN **

**Really sorry for this late update, I have several explanations that i would like to give regarding my situation.**

**so first off, I've been struggling with my writing speed since the start of this chapter. Words just won't flow out much like it used to be. It's just a constant get in and out of my writing mood and it definitely impact on the schedule. What should have taken about three days to write took a week and a half just to finished it.**

**The second thing is regarding the quality of this. To be honest, i don't really like how this turn out when it was first finished. I cut out or revise a lot of the section within this to a level where I'm satisfied. Also, as you know, you have seen quite a lot more grammatical mistakes than the previous chapter. I'll get to that part below**

**So, my usual Beta reader have called in sick. Which I will respect that and not bother him with this chapter. So, I tried contacting some other beta reader and ask if they can help me with this. So far tho, it's proving that i have to take it into my own hand and revise it myself. So please understand why SPAG is not my forte.**

**Regarding the schedule, I'm going to change it into posting this fic whenever I possibly can. School will start in a week and I have a lot of studying to do. I try to write if time allows me to. don't expect a once per week chapter with reason state above.**

**Well, enjoy this chapter, comments and criticism are appreciated. now, onto the review.**

**Monkiepawn : Well, that's the main idea of the fic honestly. Shirou will get to meet people along the way as he journey to the start of danmachi canon. This is definitely not a shounen fic with constant fighting. It's just a place for relaxation with a some fights.**

**ShippingJR: Lol, I never really play Blazblue so i think i make a reference by accident.**

**Victosan: Thanks for the comment, you just make me realize that she doesn't come off the way I wanted to. I did change it tho, so hope it come out more believable.**

**The Qrow : Thanks for the input. The prologue is just me when I half ass on writing. When I first started this, I just write it for my own amusement so I never really put much thought behind it. I will try to update that shortly after this chapter is released.**

**Guest (Star) : Lol, like saitama? Shirou, the most OP adventurer, just want to live a normal life. But fate say otherwise, as more and more problem just kept coming on his way. **

**Goldenkingunlimitedblades : Well, who knows. it could be in the future.**

**Zo-kel : Well, I cant really please anyone with this. So i understand if you don't like OC.**

**DaDragon : Well, I don't want to nerf him too hard. Like i said, Shirou temporal disability is more of a plot point than a disability for real.**

**Trasgo: Some element from option 1 and 3. He could spread some recipe to the public but Shirou doesn't the full extent of the difference between Orario and japan cooking. **

**Hien Chuy Huy : Well, wait and see. There's another arc coming right after this one.**

**Lost Stardust : Yeah, Shirou is definitely one of the hardest character to write. Mostly since you can't really grasp his character right. I mean, look at Wandering of the Sword Hero and some other Shirou fic, they mostly depicted this badass Shirou that seem like a mirror of Archer, not that i'm complaining. I just feel like they focus much on the GAR ness rather than Shirou himself.**

**Zenithtempest: He is by no means weak. Shirou will regain his footing back soon. It just serving as a plot progression more than actual disability. Shirou never once get into a fight except Mia spar. And he doesn't have to do much in this either. He just needs time.**

**BOOP : First review, prologue exist as a mean to captivate the reader attention. it also serve as a basis of the foundation you built on. I just feel like i need something to do a hook, line, and sinker for future reader to get into the story **

**second review : Well, please bear some exposition. As i said, it's more of laying a foundation so i could reference it back instead of saying it out of nowhere.**

**Well, that's all of this for now, I'll see all of you in the next chapter.**

**peace.**


	8. Chapter 5 : Magic and Meetup

**AN: I'M BACK, rather long AN at the end for explanation.**

The Abandoned District

A torn up area littered with pieces of buildings from an age long forgotten. Pillars resembling those from ancient temples could be seen sticking out with pieces of roofs and tile still hanging on their side. This sight stretches for miles and occupies a small portion of space near the city walls. An area declared too troublesome to be cleared due to the sheer number of debris occupying it. Not much is known about this area.

Documents lacked official records about this area's past, and officials from the guild

won't disclose information about it apart from the knowledge of a once strongest familia once lived in that area.

Due to the absence of humans, this area is mainly used by young aspiring mages that did not come from top familias. The area itself goes by the rule of first come first served basis. If you manage to find a good spot, that area will be yours for the duration of your stay. This is one of the many rules that has been set in place by the gods. However, it doesn't stop those from powerful familias to mark some areas as their own. The guild also recognizes it as a training ground for newcomers; they regularly recommend them to cast their spells here without worries. It is for that reason that you wouldn't be surprised to see an elf and a human sitting by the entrance.

Riveria sat gracefully on a bench, her back set on a straight position with legs kept close together. Her arms rested on her lap while slowly flipping the pages of her book. Overall, this scene is definitely something you expect from someone of noble status. On the other side of the bench, there's a beautiful blonde sleeping peacefully. The sight garners a lot of attention from both civilians and adventurers alike. However, none of them dare to approach them due to their status. It does make them wonder though, '_Why are there two high ranking adventurers sitting near the abandoned district?'_

Oblivious to what other people thought, Riveria continued to read silently, fully engrossed in her own book. Due to some mishaps that had occurred in the library, she had to cut her reading time short. While waiting for the arrival of Shirou, Riveria used the time wisely by continuing her reading session.

After 5 minutes, the elf's ears perk up to the sound of footsteps coming toward her direction. Looking up from her book, she could make out a familiar silhouette from the street in front of them. After making sure her eyes were correct, Riveria closed the book in her hands while mentally taking note of where she left off.

"It's pleasant to see you again, Shirou." Riveria greets with a nod. Looking at him, he appears to be dressed presentably for this occasion.

"It's good to see you too, miss Alf," Shirou replied back.

"Please, spare me the formal greetings. It would feel too stiff for me if you will always call me that. You may simply call me Riveria."

"Haha, I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Still, I certainly didn't expect you to come here this early." Due to his Japanese upbringing, he always made sure to arrive earlier than the expected time of meeting.

"That's to be expected, it is unbecoming of me to be the one to arrive late when I'm the inviter." Riveria stands up, picking her staff in the process. "Now, let's skip the pleasantries for now. We have a lot to go through today."

Aiz, as if someone woke her up, slowly lifted her drowsy eyes to greet the world. She began to scan the surrounding area before laying her sight on a familiar person. "Ah, Shirou.. you're here."

"Hello Aiz," Shirou let out a small smile, "did you sleep well?"

"Hm, satisfactory." her choice of words is as short as usual.

"I see, well, it's certainly a surprise to see you here."

"You do not have to worry about this. Aiz is here just so I can keep an eye on her." Riveria said. Judging by the pout on Aiz face, it is evident that Aiz herself is not enjoying this. "Come, let's not waste more time."

"Haha," Shirou lightly laughed, " I guess she must have done something to warrant this."

"What's the problem with just training…" a small murmur manages to escape from Aiz's mouth. Unfortunately for her, the street is quiet enough that both Riveria and Shirou managed to pick up from it.

"Hahh…" Riveria released a long sigh," It's for that reason that I'm not letting you push yourself over your limit. You've been blessed with a perfect body but even it has limits on how much it can work. Fatigue is by no means a weak enemy. if you leave it uncheck, even it can have the might of a goliath. Just this morning, I needed to use extra measures just to get you out of your bed because of how tired you are."

Aiz, who couldn't find fault in her statement, could only obediently follow them as they started walking through the abandoned district.

* * *

'_How nostalgic…'_ The sight of the abandoned district brings back some memories from the depths of his mind. They're always there, lurking beneath the shadow, never intending to leave him. Shirou manages to show no outward reaction other than a slight twitch of his eyebrows. The past is already behind him, _along with that ideal…_

Shirou squints his eyes for a bit, noting a particular detail regarding their journey.

"It's surprisingly well kept." The road they've been walking on is much flatter compared to the rocky terrain beside it.

"The path here is created more out of convenience than practicality. Piles of stone are just swayed to the side until it looks acceptable to trudge upon." Riveria said.

"That's… not efficient." Although it makes sense to him why this place is called the abandoned district.

"I can't blame them, This plot of land has been stripped from anything valuable after several years of scavenging and treasure hunting. It used to be much more chaotic and disorderly compared to now."

That brought Shirou's curiosity "Oh, how can you tell?"

"It's because I was there when our useless goddess decided to join the bandwagon and raid this place, the guild was also unusually cooperative with this event. Those treasures that the finder deemed useless can be sold to the guild in exchange for valis. It was a pretty big competition. Many familias worked all day rummaging through in the search for valuables." Riveria's face turns slightly grim as she recounts those events.

Shirou frowned a little at the implication, "There must be a lot of infighting and stealing during this scavenging hunt."

"It's fine, Those kinds of things rarely happen during an event overseen by The Guild unless you want to earn their wrath. While you may paint this as a happy-go-lucky event, it was actually quite depressing. Most of what we found were works of literature that would rile up the men. It was even written on top-quality papers that were enhanced for longevity and ink that came from rare monsters. All of those materials… _wasted on those books."_

While Riveria recounted those bad memories, Aiz could only look at her mentor with slightly curious eyes. "Ah… I remember that."

"I'm surprised you remember that, considering you were around 9 years old at the time."

"Hmm."

**BOOM**

"What's that?" Shirou instantly raised his guard.

"You don't need to spare your concern for it. That's just one of many mages that practice their magic here. They already exercise caution when casting their spell so you won't get hit by anything unless you're actively seeking it." She took a few steps forward before finally coming to a stop, " We've finally arrived."

Shirou realizes that they have strayed from the original path a couple of minutes ago; the area they're standing is smoothened with a concrete floor that was flatter compared to the area around it. There was a bench right across from them that bears an insignia of a joker bowing with a sinister smile.

"Welcome, Shirou, to the Loki's Familia mage training ground. We usually use this area as part of our recruitment process so it's generally well kept. You should feel the level of mana in the air to be higher compared to the rest."

"Ohh, I didn't realize it." true to Riveria's words, Shirou could feel the increased density of mana in the areas around him. The magus wouldn't say that there's a huge difference between here and other places; but, there's a noticeable contrast between the two.

While Shirou began marveling on the subject, Aiz silently walked toward the bench and gently rested on it. She appears to be a fast sleeper, something he didn't expect to be possible unless you count a certain tiger. Riveria waited for a moment before lightly coughing to call back Shirou's attention.

"Ah, sorry about that," Shirou said, embarrassed by his behavior.

"No worries. Now, you must be wondering about the purpose of my invitation."

"Can't say I'm not."

"During our little talk in the library, I've become intrigued by the method you use in regards to your magic. As far as I've lived, I have never seen a mage who powers their magic using a draw method."

Shirou is surprised by this revelation. He didn't know that his own magic is that big of a difference compared to other people. It's almost fitting for him, Illya and Rin always used to mention how much of an outlier he is from the common magus. Unaware of Shirou inner talk, Riveria continued with her explanation.

"Of course, I can't say that I'm knowledgeable on how magic works for humans. However, for elves, we have records of multiple methods we have used to practice magic. Your method is one of many which we _attempt _to do." Her face turned a little grim as she uttered the last part.

"Judging by your words, it looks like it didn't turn out well."

"As you know, Mana has always been in the air for a very long time. While it may sound biased coming from me, Elves are known as the first creature to access this strange power through the use of incantation. Then, as the world evolves, other species have begun to tap into this power as well. All of them require a chant to activate."

"During a chant, your body opens up a passage for the mana to fill in. The amount of space open up is correlated to how long the chant verse is. This is why magicians are usually on the backline. Any interruption during chanting could disrupt the spell and cause your body to naturally reject the mana, leading to an Ignis fatuus. Fortunately, the presence of the gods falna significantly reduces the chance for it to happen."

"Uhh, I heard you use the term 'Ignis fatuus' before. Could you perhaps tell me what it means?" Shirou could only scratch his head awkwardly for his question.

"Huh?" Riveria is bewildered, " Shouldn't you know what this term is during your magic study?"

"My dad wasn't really the best at teaching me magic."

A sigh could be heard from Riveria, "Alright, Ignis fatuus is a term associated with the violent reaction from magic-users when their incantation or magic is interrupted or their own magic goes out of control."

That term reminded Shirou of what his father used to say when he started learning magic. _"To become a magus is to walk with death."_ During his work time in the Benevolent mistress, Shirou sometimes struck small talks with customers and got to know those who use magic. It is surreal how different they are compared to what his father used to say of magi considering how similarly dangerous it is for both of them.

"There have been instances in the past where other mages tried your method. Yet, all of them ended up destroying their bodies after the mana they took goes beyond its limits. For thousands of years, it is believed that that method is simply useless and too dangerous to master, until you came in."

"Me?" Shirou points at himself.

" Yes, you. As I stated previously, you're perhaps the only living being I have met that manages to use that dangerous method without significant consequences on your body. After some thought, my hypothesis is that your body has some kind of mechanism that prevents overuse of mana."

"That's… an interesting theory." Shirou couldn't just say that he came from another world. It would simply be too crazy for others to believe. All he could do is just nod his head and go with the flow.

Unknown to Shirou's dilemma, Riveria started to get to the main point. "Now, before we delve deeper into this, I propose we have a deal."

"Oh? What are you proposing?"

"A trade-off. As an elf and a magic caster, I seek to better my craft and skill regarding my magic, both for my own gain and for the lives of my familias members. That means the method you have to achieve such a thing has the potential to help me grow stronger." Judging by her voice, there's no trickery behind it. She really wants to be stronger to protect her allies, something Shirou can respect her for. "Of course, you will be compensated for this as well."

"Ah, you don't really have to compensate for that." Knowing that she's doing it to help others is enough reason for the magus to lend his aid.

"I cannot in good conscience request a deal from someone I know without an equal exchange with the other party. It would be an insult to my status and pride as a royalty."

After some thought, an idea struck Shirou, "How about the price for this is to be formally introduced to your method of magic. There are some questions I would like to ask regarding your previous explanation."

"...I shall take that as compensation. However, I shall give you a favor in accordance with the mentioned price. That is simply too low compared to the knowledge I will gain from this. If you plan to use that favor, simply go toward the twilight manor where the Loki familia reside. Is the exchange satisfactory?"

"Very well… you're a good person, Riveria."

"As someone who holds responsibility as a leader, it is my duty to be as fair as possible." Riveria nodded, " Now, let's first begin the lesson of our version of magic."

What follows next is probably one of the most eye-opening experiences in Shirou's life. How to channel your magic more efficiently, the breathing technique to lessen the strain, and much more knowledge behind the magic in this world. He is far too engrossed in the lecture that he hasn't even realized that 2 hours have passed. The only clear indication of it is when Riveria announced a break after finishing her lecture.

"This should be enough to cover the basics."

"Yeah, I believe I learned enough from your lesson, thank you."

"It is of no concern. You could repay that gratitude back when you uphold your end of the deal. But, let's take a break before we can dive in with your explanation." Riveria continues to talk while walking toward the bench. Aiz, hearing soft footsteps coming in her direction, slowly opened her eyes. When her sight caught the figure of Riveria, her droopy eyes stared for a moment before she went back to sleep.

"..." Due to Shirou's positioning, he couldn't really see Riveria's face. However, judging by the slight tremble of her body, he could tell that she's annoyed by this.

**Bam**, a fist landed on Aiz's head, effectively waking her out of her slumber.

"_Ouch_… why did you do that?"

"Blame yourself for your own actions."

"Ughh…I just want to sleep."

"_Sigh,_ I told you that pushing yourself too far isn't worth the risk."

"I.."

That intrigued Riveria, "hmm?"

"I'm…"

"OI…" Now even Shirou is growing more concerned from her voice. Her eyelids slowly flattered as her consciousness came back to her. Riveria put her hand on Aiz shoulder, attempting to lightly shake it. But, before she managed to do it, a loud guttural sound entered their ears in succession, causing both Riveria and Shirou eyes to widen.

While their reactions were the same, the reason behind them were somewhat different from each other. Due to her being present in most of Aiz's childhood, Riveria motherly instinct came in as she instantly knew the source of the sound. For Shirou, his mind came to a complete halt as the image of a tiger and a lion entered his mind.

"I'm… hungry." The sword princess hand unconsciously laid itself on top of her stomach. Her head lifted up and sent it gaze toward the one person in her mind. While her expression remains the same, the meaning behind it successfully transferred to Shirou.

Shirou let out a sigh; however, he felt strangely content with the current circumstances. _'No matter where I go, there's always at least one foody sticking near me.' _He proceeded to take out the box he had been carrying. It was a simple box, it's surface made from wood without any decoration. Yet, all of them knew what's inside the box.

"Shirou." Riveria said, "You don't have to inconvenience yourself with this."

"You don't have to worry about it, me and a co-worker created too many sandwiches this morning. Since it would go bad if we left it alone, I brought it along with me. Please, help yourself with it."

"If you say so…" Shirou slightly opened the box and a wave of fragrance assaulted both Riveria and Aiz nose. Due to her hunger, Aiz took severe critical damage from it.

"Oh my, I didn't expect the scent to be this fragrant."

"Thanks for the compliment." He laid the box on the bench so all could take the content.

"Then, don't mind if I do."

Riveria slowly took one of the sandwiches out from the box and inspected it for a second. Shirou twitch a little at her gesture, _'Does she find it unappealing?'_ that would hurt his pride as a chef if that were to be the case. Fortunately, the elf took a bite of it. after several more seconds. Her surprise face made all of this worth it.

Aiz, having seen the food being taken in front of her eyes couldn't hold back any longer and stretch her hand toward the place of her desire. The sandwich is lined up perfectly bar one of the spots that Riveria took. It appears that the sandwiches are organized by columns based on their insides. The sword princess could still remember how the Jagamarukun Shirou made taste heavenly inside her mouth.

With slight hesitation, Aiz reached out her hand and grabbed one of the sandwiches in the fourth row. Its filling looks to be primary consists of a well balanced meat and vegetables. The fried meat plumply laid over a smooth fresh Lettuce, the bread softly compressed those fillings without hurting their original aesthetic. If Aiz didn't know any better, she would believe this to be a food serve for in the gambling district.

_Bite_

The first thing that hit her tongue is the taste of meat. The salt inside it blends well in chemistry with the Tomatoes juice. The lettuce helps mitigate the sourness of the tomato while bringing a fresh breeze of coldness into her mouth. The sword princess was instantly enraptured by it and she couldn't stop eating.

Her manners of eating would most of the time earn a scorning from Riviera. However, the mind of the elf is fully focused on the half bitten sandwich in her hand. Due to her status as royalty, her tongue has been subject to many high quality meals made by her own chef. While the sandwich taste couldn't go up to the level of those who spent thousands of years perfecting their craft, it is still much more than what you would expect from a human.

She went for another bite, only for her to taste nothing but air. Now, her sensation of her hand starts to register the lack of object on it. It appears that during her musing, she must have finished her own meal.

Shirou for most of his own part doesn't see this as out of the ordinary. There's multiple instances back in fuyuki and hear where people took a liking to his food to a rather worrisome degree. Even the resident tiger couldn't hide her small scowl when they went out to eat together as part of her whole bonding time. Remembering this memory causes a pang of guilt within Shirou. The destruction of the holy grail war consumes buildings and people alike within its wasting fire. _'I hope you're still alive...Fuji-nee.'_

" Is there something troubling you Shirou?" a question brought his mind back into the current situation. A quick glance toward the source shows a slight worrying gaze of Riveria. Her hands have rested on her lap with another half eaten sandwich within its grasp. Aiz for most of her part aims her expressionless face toward him; however, her lack of action in consuming food is more than enough indicator in her current state.

'_Hah,' _Shirou let put a sigh, '_It seems I can't get away with my tendencies to cause other people to worry.'_ Lightly shaking his head, Shirou began to assure them that it was nothing. Both of them are still skeptical from his reassurance but decide to trust him on that. After that, a comfortable silence fell in their little lunch together since neither of them appears to be the talkative type. It is during this silence that Riveria decided to break the silence.

"So Shirou, could you enlighten us on how you managed to raise your culinary skill to this degree?"

"It wasn't as great as it appears to be. Most of the skills I learn are just self-taught."

"Don't sell yourself short young man. The level of taste within this meal is already above our familia's cook. While they don't dedicate their entire lives in the pursuit of culinary arts, their skills are nothing to scoff at." Riveria words cause a small uncomfortable feeling within Shirou. He was never good at accepting compliments from others. However, a small feeling of satisfaction swells inside on the thought of bringing happiness to others with his cooking.

"Sorry, I'll be sure to take it into consideration." his answer seems to be the right one as Riveria nodded before resuming with her meal. "Still," she added, "for how long have been practicing creating food to raise your skill to this degree?"

"Haha, It wasn't that great of a reason as it is more out of desperation rather than a hobby."

"Oh, are you comfortable sharing the story behind it?"

"I don't mind. It's not like I was captive against my will. It's mostly how my dad can't cook anything without burning the house down. For example…." and there, Shirou starts talking about random moments within his childhood about his father and Fuji-nee. Some info has been kept a secret like technologies and the place he lived in so as to not make himself look suspicious.

Aiz appears to be quite interested in his story, her eyes never left his figure except for the occasion of getting a sandwich. The elf only asks some questions for clarification but for the most part keeps herself quiet as the story goes on. This serene atmosphere continues until all of the entire sandwich batch has been eaten. Noting the sun's presence in the sky, Riveria felt they already wasted enough time in lunch.

"I propose that we should head back in training. I have a meeting appointment with someone scheduled about two hours from now. While my words may sound selfish, please bear with me." She wipes her mouth using a napkin before standing up.

"I understand, I've already dragged this long enough as it is." Shirou wrapped up the box, pointedly ignoring the small crestfallen face Aiz made. He stretches his limbs as he stands up.

"Alright, i guess it is my turn." The magus took several steps in front of them before turning around. " Let's get the lesson started."

* * *

"To start it off, I just want to say that I'm not the best person in teaching this stuff. The things I've learned are only superficial at best so take everything of what I'm about to tell you with a grain of salt." Shirou is already aware of his lack of knowledge in this field. God knows how many times Rin and Illya lecture him about the fundamental stuff.

" It's fine. I know what I'm getting into after the brief interaction back in the library. As a high elf mage, I'm confident in my skill to grasp and learn the basic concept. So, feel free to explain it in a way you think suits best."

" I'll take your word for it. By the way, are you sure Aiz would like to join in on this lesson?"

"I don't mind. She may have learned something from this as well."

"That's good then. Let's start with the basics." What follows next is only what you could call an intermediate understanding regarding the essence of thaumaturgy, the lifeblood of magus in the moonlit world. Shirou isn't kidding when he mentions his lack of knowledge; if Ilya or even Rin were to sit right here and listen to his lecture, they would launch a never-ending tirade while nitpicking on every sentence that comes out of his mouth.

For the most part, Riveria appears to be taking the influx of information with ease. Sometimes she would ask a question during the lecture and Shirou did his best to answer it. After some time covering the basics, Shirou finally decided they had enough.

"I think that should be enough, I don't think Aiz could handle more explanation before her brain shut down from a lot of information."

"Hmm, I guess you're right. Can you perhaps show a demonstration like you did in the library? I believe I got the basic idea but a demonstration would help solidify it."

"I don't see why not." Standing up, Shirou stretched his muscle for a moment before closing his eyes. He held out his right arm forward, motioning his fingers and palm into a grabbing position. While he could do this with just a will of his mind, a more direct method is much more explainable and easier to see.

He focuses on the depth of his mind and recalls a perfectly normal kitchen knife back in the benevolent mistress. With the image set, he began his magic.

"Trace on."

To Riveria amazement. There are many parallels that could be seen between Shirou's unique magic compared to how the system of magic works in Orario. His magic has a more in-depth thought behind it but is limited to their mind while her magic follows the flow of the world and offers possibilities.

What she's currently seeing right now is the application of Shirou's own magic system at work. Although she did manage to glimpse back in the library, it wasn't in full detail so there's some spot missing in her knowledge regarding this. And the surprising part, this method doesn't seem to utilize the Gods falna. This only piqued her curiosity more.

Her sense perks up as she hears two words coming from Shirou's mouth. The mana of the world starts flowing toward the body of the young magus at the speed unnatural for the average mage. Riveria eyes analytically process the information in front of her. The teaching of the forest elf help guide her sense into spotting unnatural behavior in the flow. '_The mana appears to be sucked in from all spots within his body. Those energies were then transferred through his arm into the palm before it began its reaction. It is safe to conclude that this magic circuit is a metaphysical nerve within a person's body that acts as a pathway. These circuits may appear in all parts of the body judging from the sheer surface area the suction occurred. Testing would be recommended after initial demonstration is finished.`_

Soon as she finished her thought, Shirou felt that enough time had passed before finally willed the knife into existence. Blue lighting flash as the mana began reacting in full force, creating a perfectly ordinary knife with all the intricate details within it.

"Quite an impressive magic you have there, Shirou."

"Haha, it's a shame that it comes with limitations."

"So, could you elaborate on what you feel during the process of your magic?"

"As I told you before, Using an image helps regulate how much mana I'm taking from my surroundings. Breathing is probably the closest feeling I can describe it. Mana is non-tangible, there are no feelings inside the process than the subconscious knowledge of how much mana you manage to store."

"I see, I apologize for imposing a difficult question for you."

"It's fine, I felt a little ashamed that I couldn't give enough help for it."

"No matter, I've already gained insight from this conversation alone. Although, I would like to try this method of yours. Would you like to serve as guidance, young man?"

"That, I could get behind that." With that, Riveria went and grabbed her staff. In the company of her usual weapon, Riviera assumed her normal stance; both of her hands held firmly onto her staff. She began to expand her senses and start the normal procedure.

"_Dance around spirit of the atmosphere, lord of light."_

Her words thrummed with power. The process of rewriting the law of the world stems from the spiritual strength behind this word.

"_Contract with the guardian of the forest. "_

The process has gone naturally without fault. The mana is slowly stockpiling inside as it fused with her falna, enhancing it by the goddess's blessing. Riveria almost let out a small sneer at the thought of it. For all her uselessness as a goddess, her blessings are not to be underestimated. Now, the crucial part. Using her own experience, Her mind starts to picture herself as a cup while tea is being poured into.

"_and envelop us with the song of the land."_

Her connection started to fluctuate. Now, Riveria knows that she needs to be meticulous in her implementation. The mana her body is currently holding is almost the same as what a normal mage is capable of holding. If handled poorly, then the consequences will be fatal. Focusing her mind, she began to imagine the pot slowly pouring onto the cup. She began to use it and started siphoning the mana in relevance to the image. The result… was beyond her comprehension.

"_Surround us becomes a great barrier of forest light and protects us ."_

Mana starts flowing like a torrent of water. Riveria senses almost went out of control from the sheer amount of it. The situation is bad, horrible even. Yet, even so, a sense of excitement began to well up inside her. A wide smile slowly spread across her face.

"_my name is Alf" _

The aria is approaching its end. Her stave trembles under the pressure as it never released that much energy since its creation.

"_**Via Shilheim"**_

* * *

Shirou started to realize how grandiose magic seems to be in Orario. Granted, the rate of encounters he has with magic is only limited to the Holy Grail War and some street trick during one of his groceries run. The magus knew that this a world not limited to the constraint like the moonlit world. What he didn't expect is something of this magnitude.

What lays before his eyes is a semi-translucent wall similar to Rho Aias. Its yellow-ish light shaded the scenery like sunglasses. Turning his head around, Shirou could see it covering all sides of the training ground in the shape of a dome.

"Oh my…" His ears perked up from the voice, prompting Emiya to turn toward the source. What surprised him is that the person behind this display obtained a disbelief expression. Shirou couldn't help but do a double-take on her face. During previous conversation, he didn't delve much into the green-haired elf in general. But now, his eyes are entranced by her regal beauty. Shirou remembers how Saber had a shocked expression when he let her taste his cooking for the first time. Somehow, both Riveria and Arturia manage to never let any embarrassing face out without a sense of regality on it. Any further musing he had were cut short when the next thing he saw was her tumbling down in her steps. Luckily, Shirou managed to prevent her before making an embarrassing faceplant. Aiz also came rushing in to help Riveria.

"Urghh…" Shirou could hear her groan. "This feeling… I must have strained my body too hard from this." Somehow, her face is the opposite of what she's saying. "To think a mage of my level would overstrain herself just from one spell, this is quite an amusing experience." A small laugh accompanies it that is music to his ears.

"Riveria… super cool." Aiz word manages to bring a small laugh that is music to his ears.

Shirou gently helped her walk toward the bench before letting the elf sit and rest. After a quick administering of a mana potion, her face has recovered some of the brightness back.

"I have to thank you once again Shirou. This new knowledge from you has opened up a new way of magic to keep me busy for a while. However, I must tell you to take caution in teaching another magic-user about this method."

"Why is that?" That got both Aiz and Shirou confused.

"The fact that I've been afflicted with _mind down_ says a lot of the risk in using this spell. While I dislike the idea of bragging, my body can handle the strain of magic usage far more than what a normal mage can normally handle." She began to laugh bitterly, " If that method had reduced me into such a state, I dreaded what could've been afflicted to those common mages."

That revelation surprised Shirou. He always knew that to be a magus is to walk with death. The chance of them getting killed by their own magecraft is as high as any other death. The only mages that Shirou could think of are Caster, Illya, and Rin. However, Shirou knows that all of them are an exception from the common magus. It makes him wonder just how much different this world is compared to his own.

"There's a saying back in my place that applied to our magic. "To be a magus is to walk with death. My dad has drilled this into my head multiple times and it wasn't without a good reason. "

"Heh, what a dangerous profession you have chosen."

"I can say the same for you, adventurer."

"True." They share a chuckle together, unaware of their resident blonde woman who gazes filled with determined eyes.

"Shirou." She called out, pulling the attention of both mages towards her. Her face still retains an expressionless state, it's her eyes that show her burning desire. "I want you to teach me this."

"... hah." Riveria blew a sigh. With a tired expression, she slowly walks toward Aiz with a steady step. After getting close enough, her hand balled into a fist and lightly slammed onto Aiz head.

"You are still too early to start learning the method Shirou has used. Did you not hear a single thing I just said earlier? It's dangerous even for me to attempt a shield spell. How could you possibly handle the strain for your offensive magic?"

"uhh..." Aiz rubbed the part of her head that hurt, a small pout forming from her mouth. "You don't have to hit me for that…"

"I didn't know you're a mage, Aiz. I thought you're more of a frontline person than someone who gave support." Shirou said.

" That's because she is a frontline fighter…." Riveria hand found itself on her chin. She appears to be thinking something from his sentence. "Shirou, I want you to be honest with me."

"Alright?" her serious tone offset him a little.

"Have you ever heard the nickname 'Sword Princess' before?"

"I heard that nickname passed around a lot in the benevolent mistress." Most patrons usually talk about her in admiration so it's somewhat hard not to overhear their conversation.

"And do you know who she is?"

"I don't think so." Now that confused Shirou further. He is sure that he never met the sword princess before.

Whatever Riveria wanted to say was stopped after Aiz slightly tugged her shirt. They appear to be engaging in a silent conversation before a sigh escapes the elf lips. "...I think we should just leave it at that."

"If you say so.." Is there a correlation between Aiz with the sword princess? Maybe Syr would know of this. She always has a knack for gathering news around Orario.

Shirou looked at the sun, noting the change in position it had back when they first started the information trade. The magus felt that it was time to call it a day. He still needs to check if Syr manages to replace those ingredients. "I think it's time we should wrap things up."

"I concur," Riveria nodded, " As always, you have my gratitude for lending us your method of magecraft."

"I already said it's fine. Your help is more than enough to help with my predicament."

"Alright, well then, I will see you later."

"Same to you as well. I hope you have a safe trip." With that, Shirou began his journey back toward home.

* * *

Of course, things will never stay safe with his luck. The only good solace from it is that it occurred just 5 minutes into his walk back home. The walkway itself is operating as it normally should. People walking through it, Sellers advertising their products and kids running around playing with their friends. It is almost a textbook example of a bustling street. Yet, a certain sight manages to capture Shirou's eyes.

A kid, no more than 12 years of age, is being chased down by three men hot on the kid's tails. The peculiar thing is that those men aren't dressed like civilians. Their choice of clothing is too exotic to be considered civilian clothing. This detail immediately causes a single thought to pop on the magus' head:

_Adventurers_

But then there lies the question, why would adventurers target this kid. Judging by their grizzly faces, Shirou wouldn't be surprised if they were to be some thugs. Alas, no matter the reason, his mind and body refuse to not ignore this situation. His body refused to let someone get hurt even when he discarded that ideal. Shirou hopes this debacle will end just in time for his night shift.

"_Trace on_."

With a quick reinforcement on his legs, Shirou began to silently tail behind the ongoing chase. The kid appears to be a slippery one, always cutting corners through alleyways and paths in order to shake them off. Unfortunately, the speed of an adventurer is nothing to scoff at. After a minute of chasing, the group of adventurers manages to corner the kid into a dead end.

By the time the kid realizes this, his back is already up against the wall as his eyes turned towards his pursuers. Shirou just managed to hide at the entrance of the alleyway. Reinforcing his ears, he began to peak at the situation while listening to their conversation.

"There's nowhere to run now, boy." one of the three men began to speak. He seems to be the tallest of the bunch with a buff look accompanying it. His voice carried an arrogant tone similar to those of higher power. His lackeys appear to also share his sentiment.

"Yeah, you got some nerve operating on our turf." A small guy expands on his supposedly boss words. Shirou would mistake him for a child if it weren't for his crooked smile. Honestly, Shirou is willing to bet that this guy is a pallum.

"But, I'm not even on your familia turf!" That voice seems oddly familiar.

"Who's to say our border is limited. Anything that is inside the red light district will soon be under the command of the Ishtar familia. Who to say we couldn't get to know the area better." The leader shares a series of cackles with the rest of his group.

"Face it kid, you either hand over the money or we beat you up ourselves and take the money. You should understand which one is better." A harsh ultimatum yet details the reality they're in. Normal people couldn't hope to stand against adventurers due to the difference in strength. It's a wonder how Orario manages to survive for this long when it is built on this shaken foundation of trust. The kid appears to realize this as well; he shows a moment of hesitation before coming to a decision.

"Tch, here, take your stupid valis." The kid threw a bag toward the 3 adventurers. The raccoon guy, the last of the three, moves forward and catches it. He starts checking the content before giving a quick nod.

"You may go, kid."

The kid stopped for a second, a look of suspicion etched on his face before he started sprinting for the exit. However, the kid immediately sidesteps to the left before a fist manages to land on his head.

"Ohoh," The attacker said, amused. "We have a smart one here fellas." The rest of them start forming a circle around the boy. "To be honest, if you were just some average street kid, I would have just let you go. But, you know, I've seen those clothes before." The boy flinched at this.

"I never saw those clothes, boss." The pallum called out. "Are you sure you didn't just misremember stuff?"

"Idiot, Look closely. Didn't you used to visit that chick."

"o...OHHHH, now I remember. You're that kid that follows that pros-" He didn't even manage to finish the word before a knife went straight for his throat. If it weren't for the killing intent the kid oozed before the attack, the knife would've already taken his life.

Everyone went into high alert. The raccoon person immediately pins the kid down. The pallum managed to wrestle the knife out of the kid's hand. He got a look of fury in his eyes as he took a few seconds to gaze at the weapon that almost took his life. Watching this, Shirou felt that this is the time to step in.

**Clang**

The knife was knocked out of the thug's hand by an object. This took everyone by surprise before turning toward the source. The boy looked at the newcomer with a shocked face.

"I think that's enough." Shirou looks at them with a slight frown.

"Get lost man, this is none of your business." The pallum said angrily.

"Yeah, We're from Ishtar familia and you're in our turf."

"That's interesting, I could have sworn that the boy mentioned this area is still on other people's turf. It would be a shame if I were to report this to them."

"Tch, what's with people being too smart for their own good." The leader cracks his neck. "Borris, hold down this kid." The raccoon guy nodded his head. "Tony," the pallum looked at him. " It's time to teach this man some lesson."

The two begin to ready their weapons. The recently identified Tony began unsheathing his twin daggers. His boss, the grizzly man, pulled a mace from his back. The scene coupled with their own crooked smile exudes enough threat to intimidate normal people. However, Shirou experienced from the Grail war distilled him from any fear.

"I give ya a last chance, lad. You can walk out and forget this event ever happens. or," the ruffian point his mace " We gonna make you regret it."

" My only regret…" Shirou closed his eyes for a second. His body shifts toward a combat stance. " Is that I have to resort to this rather than a more peaceful method."

"Heh, you are going to regret acting like the Astraea familia." They charged. Due to their status as adventurers, their speed slightly surpassed what normal humans could do. Yet, it still wasn't enough to cause a slight unease for Shirou. Strengthening his arms, the magus is about to intercept the charge when a mysterious voice comes from above.

"**He won't need to." **

Thus, like a gale of wind, a figure jumped down from the rooftop, landing squarely with a soft thump in between the charging ruffians and Shirou. Its green cape flourishes from the drop and is large enough to cover its entire body. Even though Shirou could only see the back of it, a slight hint of feeling instantly made him raise his guard.

'_Killing intent… albeit a small one.' _Judging by the 2 brutes rooted on their spot, they could sense it too. The leader looked at the hooded figure with shock before his face light up with recognition.

"Fuck, its Gale from the Astraea familia." The rhea exclaimed, harboring the same expression as his superior. "W-we should probably run boss. We can't handle her."

"Idiot, Do you think I don't know that?" The grizzly man cursed before turning and facing the person in question. A fake smile appeared on his face. "What a surprise to find you here, Gale. nice weather we have today isn't it?"

"**I prefer If you don't waste any more of our time here."**

"Yes yes, we'll get straight to the point." the man said timidly, " We know your track record against criminals and frankly, we would like to stay in one piece. So what about this? The boy for our lives, fair trade isn't it?"

The Gale lowered its head slightly, causing the man to sweat slightly.

"**Get out of my sight." **

"You heard her Borris." The lackey followed his word and released the kid from the hold. Before long, all three of them began to run from the alleyway, passing by the cloaked figure who stood still and Shirou. Yet, a passing remark manages to catch the magus attention.

"_You're going to regret this_." And then, they were gone. Off back toward wherever they went.

Whether the hooded figure heard the passing remark, it didn't show it. Instead, The figure strides toward the injured boy, briefly checking his injuries.

"You're hurt." The change of tone is surprising. Gone was the tough edge within its voice. What now there is a voice of concern. However, the most surprising fact was that its voice sound… feminine.

"I'm fine." The boy looked to the side. "Thanks... I guess, both of you, for standing up for me." Now that he looked at the boy closely, his feature made Shirou remember a certain boy. '_Michael.'_

"Hold on," before Michael could run off, Gale stopped his movement by placing her hand in front of his path. Before the boy could question her action, his hand quickly moved and caught an item heading his direction. It's a flask of red liquid stored inside it. It took a couple of seconds before the boy stored it in his jacket and resumed his sprinting out of the alleyway.

"That's generous of you." Shirou's respect for the mysterious woman has gone up from her act. Healing potions are certainly a commodity those who lived in the lower end couldn't afford. There's an awkward silence between them as she doesn't seem to care about his praise. Seeing that he overstayed his welcome, Shirou began to walk back.

"Wait for a moment, Emiya Shirou." That stopped him on his track. While his name is no secret, it still felt off for a complete stranger to know his full name.

"I would like you to come with me. My goddess would like to ask some inquiry regarding what happened back at Daedalus street." Judging from her tone, she wouldn't take no for an answer.

_sigh_...Shirou could only hoped Sylvia managed to restock those supplies. He could tell that this is going to take a long time.

* * *

(Omake)

"Shirou, I would like to test something. Would you please fetch my bag."

"Uh, sure." Shirou didn't even realize that Riviera brought a bag with her. Looking back, he discovered a bag lying inconspicuously on the bench. _'Weird, I didn't remember it being there.'_

Not thinking about it, Shirou went and retrieved the bag. It felt light in his hand, nothing heavy seemed to be within the large bag. After giving the bag toward the Riveria, the elf opens up the back and brings out…. a witch hat?

"Many Thanks, Shirou. Now, the time has come." With swiftness he never seen before, Riveria brought an eyepatch and cape and adorned it on herself, creating a comedic image.

"Now, with this method, I finally have the chance to witness the truest art of magic."

"Riveria… what are you talking about."

"Bear witness Shirou, to the strongest attack magic!" She pointed her staff toward the sky.

"_Oh, blackness shrouded in light, Frenzied blaze clad in night,"_

Soon, black tendrils of mana began converging toward her staff at a rapid rate. Causing multiple magic circles to appear in front of it.

"_In the name of the crimson demons, let the collapse of thine origin manifest."_

Those magic circles turned into a fiery red. Causing Shirou to start worrying about what it is to come. Even though Shirou could feel that the magic is reaching its limit, the torrent of mana doesn't seem to stop. _Wait, don't tell me…_

"_Summon before me the root of thy power hidden within the lands_

_of the kingdom of demise!"_

"Riveria, stop whatever you're doing right now." Shirou got a really bad feeling about this.

"You can't stop this Shirou, I've already set myself down this path. I would not let anyone obstruct me into seeing this with my own eyes. Now, Witness the power of the strongest attack magic!"

"_**Explosion!"**_

All Shirou could see is white.

.

.

.

.

.

In the record of the place once known as Orario, an unusual phenomenon occurred within its wall on a certain day. A pillar of fire shot from the ground up in the abandoned district whilst causing multiple infrastructure damage to the area surrounding it. It walk like a heaven judgment... albeit in the opposite direction. The aftermath of this phenomenon reveal a giant crater scorched beyond recognition. Luckily, there are no casualties from the explosion.

No one managed to find out who created the pillar of fire. Many suspects were questioned regarding their involvement yet all of them vehemently denied the claim. However, an interesting piece to note regarding the aftermath is the huge charity Loki's familia manage to give toward the reconstruction efforts. Yet, we may never know why the familia harbor a guilty face during the entire process.

(Omake end)

**Rather long AN:**

**So…. how's quarantine been for you guys? I know I'm doing fine on my own. SO let's get right into the situation. Firstly, regarding my 8 months unexpected hiatus, all I can do is apologize for it. School has been hectic since I'm taking harder classes for my career and that leaves me almost no time to continue writing this story. Fun fact, I've been working on this chapter for almost the entire 8-month hiatus and just manage to finish due to the quarantine. Another fun fact, the appearance of Gale used to be at the end of chapter 1. However, I felt like its too soon for their meetup so push it back to this chapter.**

**Second point. Please do not worry about the intricacies behind the magic system here. I already wrack my brain hard and still couldn't find a good way to bridge to gap between Type moon and Danmachi magic. This is the best I could come up with so please bear with me. The folly of 8 months ago come to bite me in the ass today since back then I still have plot bunny stuck in my head. I already tried to patch things up but I know that some would get angry and frustrated by this. So, I wouldn't place any hard feelings if you guys want to drop this fic.**

**Thirdly, I'm thinking of starting a new fic. Its 25% done right now; Quarantine sure is a blessing in disguise to me. I won't say much regarding what it will be since I'm not sure if I'm planning to post it online. All I can say is that I just hope I manage to do this right.**

**Thirdly, regarding future chapters… I couldn't promise you guys anything. I may work on it or procrastination may come and took over my body. All I can say is that I will do this to the best of my ability.**

**So, time for answering reviews.**

**Tarrangar: yes, I know. Magic will not be the main focus of the fic so all i can ask of you is to bear with me on this.**

**MysticRising: Well then, being a hero who killed 'All The Worlds Evils' wouldn't be so bad right? As for your other suggestion, you just have to wait and see.**

**Peddy-kun: Magic my boy, or in this case an Authors force plot. They already spent nearly all their bread from last night and that place is a restaurant, not a bakery.**

**Googlemo: Oof, while your idea has merits, I like stories that the world builds first before diving toward the main plot. I just feel turn off when there's no build-up leading toward it. However, I do see a way to use your suggestion and I will think about it in future stories.**

**KitCat: Most cameo will be in omakes and such since I didn't see a need to change the world more. However, that could be subject to a change in the future.**

**Amir: Soon my boy, soon**

**And to all of you who compliment my fics, I couldn't do anything else other than giving my most heartfelt gratitude. As always, review and criticism are welcomed. I do not own anything apart from some OC's. I'll see you guys in the next chapter.**


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